stem cell research

California awarded its first grants for stem cell research Monday, in an effort to restart the state's stalled research program. About $12 million raised by state business leaders including venture capitalist L. John Doerr and the Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs has been distributed to researchers and projects around the state. The program, known as the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has been slowed by a series of legal challenges filed by opponents of stem cell …

Bush is expected to nominate acting FDA head Andrew von Eschenbach for the permanent job at the agency within the next two weeks. Dr. von Eschenbach, who moved to the FDA from the National Cancer Institute, came in as a replacement for former chairman Lester Crawford last year after his sudden exit. Von Eschenbach moved to government from the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Confirmation hearings are likely to focus on controversial issues like the debate over the agency's handling …

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) reversed his position on funding for research on embryonic stem cell research in a speech to lawmakers today. The news that Frist is now saying he supports legislation which would end on a moratorium on funding passed in 2001 is a front page story in newspapers across the country. Analysts say the Senate majority leader's support is likely to make a "crucial difference" in the political battle over the bill, creating political cover for …

Officials at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said they aren't happy with a proposal which would require the healthcare system to contribute $150 million towards the construction of a new academic medical center in Las Vegas. The news follows an estimate by Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor James E. Rogers that the total cost of the facility will probably be about $400 million. UPMC says it is not willing to foot construction costs but is not ruling out a deal. The …

In South Korea, pioneering geneticist Hwang Woo Suk of the University of Seoul announced plans to open a World Stem Cell Bank by the end of the year. The bank would serve as a repository for current stem cell lines, allowing medical researchers to access cells that match patient's immune systems. Hwang told the Associated Press the effort should be an international project.

Meanwhile, in the US, lawmakers in Massachusetts and Connecticut approved legislation that would officially …

Congress is expected to take up the debate over embryonic stem cell cloning again this week after a break for the Memorial Day holiday. The debate now moves to the Senate. On Sunday, Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), a leader of the movement against the legislation, called for new rules which would limit the number of embryos fertility clinics can produce. The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act would allow federal funding for research on embryos left over from fertility treatments. "This is not …

Legislation which would relax the Federal ban on stem cell research moved forward this week as the US House of Representatives approved the Castle-DeGette bill, which would authorize medical research on stem cells obtained from embryos stored at fertility clinics. The action now moves to the Senate next week, where the debate is likely to be fierce. Roll Call reports that opponents led by Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) are seriously weighing a filibuster. Supporters are led by Sen. …

Over the weekend, President Bush responded to news that Korean researchers had achieved a breakthrough in stem cell research. The President promised to veto any stem cell legislation that seeks to legitimate human cloning. That sets the stage for a battle on Tuesday in Washington between proponents of a bill which would authorize research on embryonic stem cell lines and an alternative bill which would allow work to be done on samples taken from umbilical cord blood …