Embryonic stem cell research falls out of favor as scientists …

Pro-life groups, which are eager to end research that destroys human embryos, are taking heart that funding decisions in two of the nations most socially liberal states are going their way.

Money talks, said Gene Tarne, author of papers for the Charlotte Lozier Institute that find that the bulk of stem cell funding grants in California and Maryland are moving toward ethical research that doesnt use human embryos.

The shift looks like a sea change from when state funding strongly favored research from embryonic stem cells over adult stem cells, which are taken from the placenta, umbilical cord and some mature tissues and do not kill human embryos.

However, the hunt for cures for diseases, along with federal and private funding for embryonic stem cell research, virtually guarantees that embryonic stem cell research and the moral battles over it are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

The World Stem Cell Summit this week in San Diego promises to share updates on a complete 360 view of the stem-cell field and says no type of research should be excluded.

The patient community is not so concerned about the source of the cell it is all about developing effective treatments, said Bernard Siegel, executive director of Genetics Policy Institute in Florida, which hosts the summit.

The summit will honor South Dakota philanthropist T. Denny Sanford for his $100 million investment in a California stem cell research center. All kinds of stem cell research projects are expected to be funded at the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at the University of California at San Diego.

Meanwhile, a Kansas stem cell research center that, by law, wont use stem cells culled from human embryos also is taking off.

This is the beginning, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said Nov. 23, when the Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center held its inaugural conference. We are catching it right as the field is really starting to burgeon, he said, according to the Kansas Health Institute News Service.

The center approved in April by the Kansas Legislature and Mr. Brownback is a visionary move to support science that can actually lead to a lot of new therapies and potentially change the face of medicine, said Dr. Buddhadeb Dawn, director of the center, which is housed at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City.

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Embryonic stem cell research falls out of favor as scientists ...