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Monitoring Stem Cell Research 
Since their initial derivation, there has been significant 
progress in culture optimization, characterization, genetic 
modification, and differentiation of human ES cells. However, ethical 
and political controversy continues to impede progress in human ES 
cell research. The decision by President George W. Bush, restricting 
federal funding to human ES cell lines derived before August 9, 2001, 
created a distribution bottleneck that is just now beginning to be 
resolved. Although these initial cell lines may support much of the 
basic research now being conducted, the very first cell lines were 
originally derived for research purposes, vhth the expectation that 
future cell lines would more appropriately address legitimate safety 
concerns for therapeutic applications. In spite of the slow start, the 
diversity of investigators already contributing to human ES cell 
research is, nonetheless, promising and suggests that the initial lag 
phase for the human ES cell field is already coming to an end and 
that an exponential growth phase is beginning. During the next year 
or two, it is likely that the purification of specific, therapeutically 
useful human ES cell derivatives, such as dopaminergic neurons, will 
be published, and that defined culture conditions eliminating the 
need for both feeder layers and non-human proteins v\hll be 
developed. When these events occur. President Bush's compromise 
will be particularly damaging to the field, and there will be an even 
greater need to derive new cell lines. 
References 
1. Thomson JA, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Shapiro SS, Waknitz MA, Swiergiel JJ, 
Marshall VS, Jones JM. Embryonic stem cell lines derived from human blastocysts. 
Science 1998; 282: 1145-1147. 
2. Reubinoff BE, Pera MF, Fong CY, Trounson A, Bongso A. Embryonic stem 
cell lines from human blastocysts; somatic differentiation in vitro. Nat Biotechnol 2000; 
18: 399-404. 
3. Lanzendorf SE, Boyd CA, Wright DL, Muasher S, Oehninger S. Use of human 
gametes obtained from anonymous donors for the production of human embryonic 
stem cell lines. Fertility and Sterility 2001; 76: 132-137. 
4. He Z, Huang S, Li Y, Zhang Q. Human embryonic stem cell lines prelimineirily 
established in China. Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2002; 82: 1314-1318. 
5. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Derivation and spontaneous differentiation of 
human embryonic stem cells. J Anat 2002; 200: 225-232. 
6. Xu C, Inokuma MS, Denham J, Golds K, Kimdu P, Gold JD, Carpenter MK. 
Feeder-free growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells. Nat Biotechnol 
2001; 19: 971-974. 
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