Stem cell research is a groundbreaking area that promises
cure for many fatal and degenerative diseases. The prospect of curing some of
the deadliest diseases modern medicine has ever encountered has allured the
most brilliant minds in biosciences today and they are struggling to produce
breakthrough results. However, the path to a cure is fraught with many
challenges that must be faced before researchers can be successful, and funding
a stem cell research project is one of them.
Stem cell research has always been an area of controversy
since it used to require the destruction of live embryos that have the
potential to become a fully grown human being one day. Among the American
public there are some strong opponents of the view that embryonic stem cell
research should be abandoned for adult stem cell research. This is because the
area of adult stem cell research seems more promising in terms of discovering a
cure than embryonic stem cell research and does not involve the destruction of embryos
(LifeNews.com,
2014).
Where Does The Funding Come From?
In a poll conducted by an agency in 2010 to know the
public’s opinion on government funding
for stem cell research only 33% of people said that they support the government
funding of stem cell research, and about 57% vehemently opposed the idea.
However, the number of people supporting stem cell research funding seems to increase
as there are more breakthroughs in this area (The
Daily Caller, 2014).
One of the main organizations funding stem cell research is
the National Institute of Health (NIH) which is a nonprofit organization that
provides funds to researchers by establishing public-private partnerships. NIH
has encouraged stem cell research by steadily providing more and more funds
since 2002, but now, the competition for federal funding is very high and
researchers are under immense pressure from the public as well politicians to
deliver a cure (Journals.lww.com,
2014).
The funding also varies from state to state. California, New
York and New Jersey, in particular, have taken an active interest in stem cell
research and have passed legislation permitting it. California has particularly allowed research and cloning of embryos. In 2004, the state
of California approved $3 billion grant to be spent on stem cell research (Genomenewsnetwork.org,
2014).
New York has also provided
strong support to stem cell research. In 2012, the funding budget for stem cell
research was $600 million, which was later reduced to $550 million due to
financial constraints. However, the overall funding outlook remains strong and
is the main attraction for researchers across the country (Genomenewsnetwork.org,
2014).
New Jersey has been at the forefront of medical technology
and innovation and also provides strong for stem cell research. It was the second
state after California to approve and pass legislation related to the use of
human embryos, germ lines and adult human stem cells for stem cell research.
It is clear that stem
cell science remains an actively funded research
area which is supported by governments and private organizations as
well. However, the results of this initiative remain to be seen as scientists
race towards their goal of advancing modern medicine.
References
Genomenewsnetwork.org,
(2014). GNN - Deprecated: Function ereg_replace() is deprecated in
/opt/www/gnn/htdocs/gnn_include/php/articlelayout.php on line 142Stem Cells:
Policies and Players. [online] Available at:
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/resources/policiesandplayers/ [Accessed 19
May. 2014].
Journals.lww.com,
(2014). Where the Stem Cell Research Funding Is — State or Federal?...
: Neurology Today. [online] Available at:
http://journals.lww.com/neurotodayonline/Fulltext/2012/09060/Where_the_Stem_Cell_Research_Funding_Is___State_or.3.aspx
[Accessed 19 May. 2014].
LifeNews.com,
(2014). Adult Stem Cell Research Has Defeated Embryonic Stem Cells for
Funding Priorities. [online] Available at:
http://www.lifenews.com/2013/10/31/adult-stem-cell-research-has-defeated-embryonic-stem-cells-for-funding-priorities/
[Accessed 19 May. 2014].
The
Daily Caller, (2014). Americans oppose taxpayer funding for embryonic
stem cell research. [online] Available at:
http://dailycaller.com/2010/09/01/americans-oppose-taxpayer-funding-for-embryonic-stem-cell-research/
[Accessed 19 May. 2014].
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