My home state is the latest to allocate big bucks on embryonic snake oil research. I forgot to mention that on St. Patrick's day Hubby & I attended a party at which we ran into an old friend who happens to head the most important anti-embryonic stem cell coalition. He's a thoughtful person --not merely an ideologue on the subject. He has an interesting job, because almost weekly he has some of the most important researchers in the field contacting him sub rosa to leak things that are happening in America's labs. Some of it is horrifying. But some of it is amazing, too. For example, he wasn't at liberty to tell me where, but there's a lab in the country that has cured Type I diabetes in mice using adult stem cells. Not diminished it; cured it. Researchers have FDA approval to proceed with human trials, but are having a hard time getting funding. Why, you ask? Because there's no way to patent adult stem cells.
And there's a guy in Michigan who is doing amazing things with spinal cord injuries, but can't get funding. Meanwhile, state after state chases after the fools gold of embryonic stem cells which have never yet cured anything, and in fact, because of their rapid growth, tend to make matters worse. Sigh.
