Ocata Therapeutics Inc fka OCAT

[Mattfount]

More good news!!

http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x598682591/New-obstacle-for-stem-cell-research

While a presidential pledge to end federal funding restrictions comes as their science might finally be ready to move from academia to commercial labs, stem cell experts pointed this week to another roadblock: the economy.

"There is no sure thing in terms of being able to get funding," said B.D. Colen, the spokesman for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute at Harvard University, referring to the limited pool of public science money.

Biotech firms in MetroWest and the state's other life science centers face another quandary, with venture capital and research funds taking a hit just as President Barack Obama considers lifting a ban on the use of federal money for embryonic stem cell research.

The ban was established eight years ago by President George W. Bush, who decreed that federal dollars only go toward existing embryonic stem cell lines. While embryonic stem cells can be used to create any type of body cell, new development is opposed by social conservatives because embryos are destroyed.

While other research options exist, such as using stem-like cells known as iPS and adults stem cells typically derived from skin, many scientists regard the embryonic type as the most powerful because of its malleability.

"We can't wait to see the executive order reversed," Colen said, adding that the institute has long advocated for treating all three sources equally and basing decisions on science, "not on extraneous issues."

In the absence of federal support, state governments in Massachusetts, Wisconsin and California have provided their own funding for embryonic stem cell research, while academic centers like the Harvard institute have rounded up donors and private partners.

Still, Colen said Harvard's researchers believe that the funding ban has placed stem cell development 10 years behind where it could be otherwise. The institute, he said, has had to maintain separate sets of equipment for adult and embryonic stem cells and limit the work of federally supported researchers.

Other institutions, Colen said, could not afford to follow suit to start their own research.

"What might they have discovered?" he asked. "What might their breakthroughs have led to?"

Partially due to the ban and partially due to the newness of the science, Colen and other experts like John Heffernan of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council said stem cells have largely not yet spread from academic settings to commercial labs.

That could soon change though, they said, given technological developments and the potential funding change.

"I think you'll see a lot more people getting into it," said Heffernan, the vice president of policy and external affairs at the council, a trade support group. "It opens some great opportunities for some of these companies."

Heffernan said Obama's promise to ease the restriction had been much discussed in the state's biotech industry recently. Already, a few firms work with stem cells, including privately held Arteriocyte Medical Systems of Hopkinton, which uses the adult variety.

While Cambridge and Framingham heavyweight Genzyme Corp. does not plan on asking for any federal stem cell funding, spokesman John Lacey said the company still supports lifting the Bush ban to help find cures for diseases and injuries.

Industry analysts have said they hope the pending easing of restrictions gives all stem cell research more credibility with investors, a factor cited by Colen.

"The ban and the controversy has probably made it somewhat iffy for some of these publicly traded firms," he said.

Following confirmation by an Obama adviser last Sunday that a lifting of the ban was imminent, shares of several stem cell developers rose, including those using adult lines.

"I think any funding like this will stimulate research and development," said Ted Welte, president of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce. "I think that's the key here."