Embryonic Stem Cell Research Potential for Impacting Cancer
Research using embryonic stem cells offers the potential for unprecedented advances in the regeneration of a multiplicity of human tissue for the treatment of chronic diseases, including cancer. At present, federal funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or otherwise is quite limited. At the outset of his presidency, President George W. Bush established a policy to allow federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, but only with respect to cell lines that were in existence as of August 9, 2001. It was thought that there were more than 60 separate cell lines, but the available cell lines now number only around 20, and they are regarded as less than ideal for research because they may be contaminated by the mouse cell media in which they were grown.
In the 109th Congress, the House and Senate passed legislation (Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, H.R. 810) to expand federally funded embryonic stem cell research. The bill was vetoed by the President on July 19, 2006, and the House was unable to achieve the two-thirds vote necessary to override the veto. The link below provides information on the potential impact of embryonic stem cell research on cancer treatment, as well as the rationale for ASCO's support of H.R. 810.
