NAPE Q & A

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By Gregg Clark, Ph.D.


Q: Is it illegal to perform human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research?

A: No it is not illegal, but no federal funding will be given to a researcher to do HESC research on anything but the approved HESC lines. The generation of new HESC lines is not to be funded by any federal governmental agency, however private, state and local funding could be used for HESC research. In fact, Harvard has set up a stem cell research institute to pursue HESC research through funding from individuals and private agencies while California recently passed a bond issue to raise 3 billion dollars to be applied toward HESC research which should aid Stanford University's Institute of Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine in its efforts in HESC research.


Q: Will stem cell therapy be available soon for people suffering loss of sight from PXE?

A: Unfortunately, the use of stem cells for treating retinal disease is probably 10-15 years off in the future. Currently, tremendous strides are being made in animal models and hopefully this will translate to humans. Careful testing will be done with any promising therapies that are developed and this will take some time before they become available for public use.


Q: What do you think will be the first area of application of stem cell therapy (SCT) to humans?

A: Based on my literature review, it seems that some impressive results are being achieved in treating heart disease in a number of small clinical trials and therefore this seems a likely first application.