Some local companies are saying, “Hey, the sky is NOT falling,” post-federal stem cell research funding ruling. First of all, many companies don’t get federal funding and won’t be affected. Secondly, alternatives to embryonic stem cell research may get an added boost.
Marlborough-based Advanced Cell Technology Inc. took the ruling as a good opportunity for spin. The company issued a press release saying that because its technology does not destroy embryos, it may be eligible for federal funding, and that in fact, the company may benefit by added pressure on the National Institutes of Health to find appropriate sources of stem cells.
“ACT’s ‘embryo-safe’ Single Blastomere technique for deriving human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), documented in Nature and CELL Stem Cell magazines and elsewhere, does not require destruction of the embryo and as a consequence may not be directly affected by this ruling,” the release reads.
However, the company was quick to follow up by saying that it does not rely on government funding for any of its research or product development.
The company’s CEO, William Caldwell, decried the ruling, but said “In the meantime, we will continue to work with the National Institutes of Health in order to gain approval for our embryonic stem cell lines derived using our embryo-safe Single Blastomere technology. If we are successful with the NIH to this end, we will endeavor to make approved hESCs available to the research community as a means to continue this important research, particularly in light of this court ruling.”
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