Embryos power U-M stem cell research
(wz) The University of Michigan will now be accepting donated human embryos to create embryonic stem cell lines, launching research aimed at improved treatments for diseases, researchers said Tuesday.
The announcement means that U-M can begin long-awaited research on incurable illnesses like Lou Gehrig’s disease. State restrictions on such research were lifted last year when voters approved a constitutional amendment.
It already has put Michigan in the stem cell spotlight, academically and economically, as U-M joins a small class of other universities nationwide that are creating stem cell lines to do ground-breaking science. But it comes as some lawmakers are trying to pass bills to add parameters that some say would stymie the progress the state has made.
“This is the beginning of a new era,” said Eva Feldman, a U-M researcher and neurologist.
For years, proponents of stem cell research tried to change Michigan’s law, among the most restrictive in the nation. But the effort dragged on since it was rebuffed by those who view embryonic stem cell research as immoral for the destruction of embryos created through in-vitro fertilization that are no longer needed.
After voters approved the constitutional amendment in November 2008, residents began asking U-M how they could donate their frozen embryos left over from in-vitro fertilization. But the university needed to develop a consent process and get it approved by university committees before the work could begin.
“We wanted to do it right,” said Gary Smith, co-director of the U-M Consortium for Stem Therapies, which joins a handful of universities nationwide creating stem cell lines. more…
From: »The Detroit News«