I get asked allot if the changes in government policies on embryonic stem cell research changes affects us in any way. While this new government policy is great news for patients, since we’ve only been using the patent’s own adult stem cells, it doesn’t directly change much for our work. What it has done is dramatically raise awareness of the field through media and “buzz”. This is likely always a good thing. I still maintain that allogeneic (someone else’s) stem cells pose some unique risks. This is the same if you’re using someone else’s adult cells or someone else’s embryonic cells. This is because the basic science research demonstrates that it’s possible to get all the good and bad baggage from that person’s genes with their stem cells.
The upshot of the new policy? It will continue to focus the public on the importance of this new field, which indirectly help everybody working in cellular therapy.
