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Parkinson's Action Network

PAN Applauds NIH Stem Cell Research Guidelines

http://www.parkinsonsaction.org/PAN-...uidelines.html

Today, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published its final Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research. Amy Comstock Rick, CEO of the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN) and President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), made the following statement applauding the guidelines:

"We applaud the National Institutes of Health for issuing clear and well-thought out guidelines for the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. What must have been a Herculean task, weighing more than 49,000 comments on this groundbreaking research, has resulted in guidelines we believe will advance the field of biomedical research and provide a solid ethical basis for the federal funding of this valuable and promising research. It's rewarding to see that the process of engaging the community works.

"We are especially pleased these guidelines offer a pathway by which existing stem cell lines, on which current research has only been able to proceed with private funding until now, now can finally move forward with the full support of the federal government. This will allow research that has been stifled for years to move forward - something the patient community has been advocating for since the restrictive federal policy was imposed by the previous Administration. We look forward to working with NIH and other federal policy entities on this issue as the research continues to evolve and advance, particularly in the area of somatic cell nuclear transfer and parthenogenesis."

To read this statement on the PAN Web site, please click here.
To read the NIH Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research, please click here.

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National Institutes of Health Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research

SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is hereby publishing final "National Institutes of Health Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research" (Guidelines).

On March 9, 2009, President Barack H. Obama issued Executive Order 13505: Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells. The Executive Order states that the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Director of NIH, may support and conduct responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, to the extent permitted by law.

These Guidelines implement Executive Order 13505, as it pertains to extramural NIH-funded stem cell research, establish policy and procedures under which the NIH will fund such research, and helps ensure that NIH-funded research in this area is ethically responsible, scientifically worthy, and conducted in accordance with applicable law. Internal NIH policies and procedures, consistent with Executive Order 13505 and these Guidelines, will govern the conduct of intramural NIH stem cell research.

EFFECTIVE DATE: These Guidelines are effective on July 7, 2009.

SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENTS ON DRAFT GUIDELINES: On April 23, 2009 the NIH published draft Guidelines for research involving hESCs in the Federal Register for public comment, 74 Fed. Reg. 18578 (April 23, 2009). The comment period ended on May 26, 2009.

The NIH received approximately 49,000 comments from patient advocacy groups, scientists and scientific societies, academic institutions, medical organizations, religious organizations, and private citizens. The NIH also received comments from members of Congress. This Notice presents the final Guidelines together with the NIH response to public comments that addressed provisions of the Guidelines.

To read the above and the balance of the NIH Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research, please click here