Monday, November 5, 2007

New Jersey Votes on Funding "Stem Cell Research" to Include Embryonic Stem Cell Research

New Jersey voters will determine whether they move to the top of the list of states using public money to fund stem cell research. The sum of money being considered is 450 billion dollars. Among the list of winning grants are listed:

Ihor Lemischka Ph.D Princeton University $300,000Genome-Wide Functional Analysis of ES Cell fate RegulationTo understand human embryonic stem cell decisions such as survival/death, renewal/determination and to understand how to maintain or induce specific cell fate with the goal of applying this knowledge to patient therapies.

and
Randall McKinnon Ph.D. UMDNJ-RWJMS $300,000Gliogenic Potential of Human Placental Stem CellsTo identify mechanisms of glial cell generation from human placental cells with the goal of identifying a potential alternative to embryonic stem cells for clinical trials. In collaboration with Celgene, a New Jersey-based biotech firm ranked sixth largest internationally.

The main stem cell research portion of the NJ website seems to bury any reference to embryonic stem cells. The use of ES cells to refer to embryonic stem cells occurs. So, don't be confused.