President Obama is planning to sign an executive order Monday to overturn Bush-era policy that limited federal tax dollars for embryonic stem cell research, according to administration officials familiar with the deliberations.

Obama’s move will be hailed by advocates for those suffering from a host of afflictions, ranging from diabetes to Parkinson’s disease, who believe that an expansion of stem-cell research could boost medical progress toward eradicating the debilitating diseases.

But many conservatives object to the destruction of human embryos because they contend that it ends a human life.

The officials said the administration is planning a Monday event at the White House at which Obama will overturn the executive order signed by President George W. Bush in August 2001. It barred the National Institutes of Health from funding research on embryonic stem cells beyond using 60 cell lines that existed at that time.

Tony Perkins of the conservative Family Research Council accused the White House of leaking the details Friday night so that the move gets little attention, declaring that it is “a slap in the face to Americans who believe in the dignity of all human life.”

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said, “Advancements in science and research have moved faster than the debates among politicians in Washington, D.C., and breakthroughs announced in recent years confirm the full potential of stem cell research can be realized without the destruction of living human embryos.”

In addition to signing the executive order, Bush twice vetoed legislation — in July 2006 and June 2007 — that would have expanded federally funded embryonic stem cell research.

At the time, Bush also argued that scientific advances allowed researchers to conduct groundbreaking research without destroying human embryos.

Bush’s moves led to Democratic charges that he had put politics over science

Advocates of stem-cell research are counting the days until the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama. Although President George Bush has strictly limited stem-cell research from cell lines derived from human embryos, Obama has long favored such research and is likely to put a quick end to the federal ban that limits funding of research.

In a 2007 news release supporting legislation to loosen restrictions on stem-cell research, Obama said:

“I am frustrated … that we are preventing the advancement of important science that could potentially impact millions of suffering Americans … My hope, and the hope of so many in this country, is to provide our researchers with the means to explore the uses of embryonic stem cells so that we can begin to turn the tide on the devastating diseases affecting our nation and our world.”

The Vancouver Sun reported today that researchers attending a stem-cell conference in Canada were elated with Obama’s win. Dr. Clayton Smith, an American researcher who moved to British Columbia five years ago to perform stem-cell research, told the Sun: “Watching the election last night was a singular event, like watching the Berlin Wall fall.”

USA Today reported that people attending the annual fundraiser benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation in New York Wednesday night were giddy over Obama’s win. “In all fairness, Sen. McCain has been supportive of our foundation in the past and supportive of research. But I think this administration will really embrace it,” said Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are hopeful that stem-cell research could eventually yield a successful treatment for the disease.

Stem-cell researchers had a good night Tuesday in various states as well. Michigan voters passed Proposition 2, allowing new embryonic stem-cell lines to be derived from embryos that have been created for fertility treatment purposes. The embryos affected by the amendment would otherwise be discarded unless donated with informed consent. And voters in Colorado rejected Amendment 48, which would have declared a fertilized egg a person with legal rights. The amendment, if passed, could have resulted in a ban on abortions, stem-cell research and some reproductive health services.

The federal ban on stem-cell research has left the United States well behind other countries in the scientific pursuit of stem-cell knowledge and products. Today, for example, Japanese researchers reported they had created, for the first time, functioning human brain tissue from stem cells taken from human embryos. The study is published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

McCain, Clinton, Obama all oppose Bush’s limits on funding for human embryonic stem cells.Subscribe to Companies

NEW YORK — Whoever wins the White House, stem cell biotechs stand to reap the benefit from an incoming leader who is friendlier to stem cell researchers than President Bush, and that could lift stocks for the entire sector, experts say.

“Any candidate is going to have a better policy on stem cells than our current president,” said Ren Benjamin, biotech analyst for Rodman & Renshaw. “If that’s the case, then it will be good news not only for the companies working in the space, but for the space in general.”

The three leading presidential candidates – Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, and Democratic Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York and Barak Obama of Illinois – have all come out in support of expanded federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research.

Stem cells taken from human embryos, created primarily through in vitro fertilization, are favored by many scientists for their ability to regenerate and to morph into different types of tissue. In theory, stem cell-based therapies could repair traumatic injuries like severed spines and brain damage, or reverse the affects of debilitating diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. So far, these types of therapies are in the earliest stages of experimentation.

President Bush created federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research back in 2001, but he limited support to only those cell lines that existed at the time in order to “not encourage the destruction of embryos.” But these limits are likely to be lifted under a new regime.

“The next president can expand [funding] and remove the road blocks,” said Stephen Brozak, biotech analyst for WBB Securities. “It removes the stigma from Bush.”

Bush has twice vetoed legislative attempts to expand the funding, including those backed by McCain, Clinton and Obama. In reference to Bush’s policies, Obama has said, “Stymieing embryonic stem cell research is a step in the wrong direction.” Clinton has called for funding for “additional cell lines in order to pursue the promising avenues for research.” McCain has said “stem cell research has the potential to give us a better understanding of deadly diseases and spinal cord injuries affecting millions of Americans.”

Following his second veto in 2007, Bush said the legislation “would compel American taxpayers – for the first time in our history – to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos.” Instead, the president touted the therapeutic potential of stem cells taken from adult tissue.

But proponents of embryonic stem cell research – including the presidential candidates – have emphasized that only those stem cells slated for destruction as medical waste would be used. In his support for stem cell research funding in 2006, McCain said the legislation provides funding only for “scientists who use embryos originally created for reproductive purposes” and those that are “now frozen or slated for destruction by in vitro fertilization clinics.”

WEDEN, 27/8/2008 9:00 AM GMT

ZandCell would like to announce the opening of our second clinic in North America. We are very proud to have reached an agreement with the hospital which we will be operating from.

Remember that you will always be examined by a US educated doctor.

Some facts about the new hospital in which we will doing our surgeries:

Excellence in Patient Care

Every year, their highly skilled teams of physicians, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, laboratory technicians, social workers, and chaplains provide medical and support services to more than a half million people. Their skilled, compassionate staff and our unique specialty services make us a first-choice hospital.  

Excellence in Research

They are an advanced medical center. Not only do they offer the latest advances in medicine, they are actively enhancing medical knowledge through basic science and clinical research.         

Excellence in Education

They serve as an educational resource for students of Medicine and the Health Sciences Schools, Nursing, Dental Medicine, Social Welfare, and the Health Technology and Management. They also serve as a healthcare educational resource for the community, our patients and their families.           

Excellence in Community Service

They are dedicated to serving our customers. As part of this dedication, they provide many support and educational services at the medical center and out in the community.

It seems like every time we turn on the TV or flip open a magazine people are talking about … you got it … stem cells! So what’s the big deal about stem cells and why are people so up in arms about it?

Well, there are actually two big deals about stem cells:

1. Stem cell therapy has been shown to have super regenerative powers for healing.
2. The uproar is over which type of stem cells are being used.

Here’s a quick primer about stem cells that ought to really help clear things up if you are confused about stem cells and stem cell therapy (as quoted from Simplexity Health):

There are two basic types of stem cells-embryonic and adult. While controversy surrounds the use of embryonic stem cells, no such debate exists with the use of adult stem cells, which are naturally occurring in the body. All stem cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods of time, and they can give rise to specialized cells.

According to the National Institutes of Health, stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, a skin cell, etc. When released, new stem cells migrate to the areas of the body where they are needed most as we grow older. Serving as a repair system for the body, stem cells can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as a person or animal is alive.

Helping Your Stem Cells Help You

Stem cells have the remarkable ability to repair and regenerate your body. So what can you do to help your stem cells help you? You can feed and nourish them. It’s simple with Simplexity Health’s Stemplex. Stemplex does four things to help your stem cells:

1. Increases the growth of adult stem cells, as shown in in vitro laboratory studies
2. Supports the body’s natural renewal system through a unique combination of ingredients
3. Provides nutrition that enables stem cells to flourish
4. Protects existing stem cells from the harmful effects of free radicals

Article Source : EzineArticles.com