S. Korea:Cloning pioneer hopes to work with Baylor(US fed $ not allowed)

[rainbow4321]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8AM728G1.html


South Korean stem cell pioneer Woo Suk Hwang says he wants to work with researchers at the Texas Medical Center, but federal law might make such a collaboration difficult.

Recently, Hwang and his researchers at Seoul National University created the first embryonic stem cells that genetically match injured or sick patients, work that was published in the journal Science last month. Last year, he created the world's first cloned human embryo.

But the medical school would likely not be able to work with the South Korean lab's cloned embryonic stem cell lines. Such cloning is legal in Texas, despite lawmakers recent consideration of bills that would ban human cloning and the use of state money to destroy human embryos. However, much of Baylor's research is federally funded, and government money can only be used on embryonic stem cell lines created years ago.
<snip>

And although the administration does not bar private or state funding of such projects, U.S. researchers say a lack of federal support is severely hampering their efforts

[ls317]

1. Figures

Korea is all ready ahead of the game when it comes to stem cell work and research.Korea done the work and research to find out information.
Once again because of "Too stupid to chew a pretzel" the US will play catch in regards to the advances.
This project will find money from private sources,trust me it will survive without any problems at all.

[whistle]

2. South Korea, isn't that where Sun Yung Moon is from.....

...and isn't his financial empire funding much of this research in South Korea? Oh and aren't Pappy Bush and Sun Yung Moon really good buddies? And doesn't that provide shrub with lots of neo-conservative/Unification Church contact funding? I think it does.

http://www.who2.com/sunmyungmoon.html

http://www.earthchangescentral.com/election_day_2004.htm

http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/who_is_gw_bush.htm

[Dogmudgeon]

3. That's casting the net a bit too wide ...

I don't think that just because Moon is from Korea, that all Korean enterprises are suspect. You'd still have to trace the money and contracts. I also would think that most of the stem cell research would be happening in Japan, where Moon also has a lot of money.

--p!

[DanCa]

4. Thank you so much for posting this Rainbow

I know forty four people on my parkinsons list who'd be most interested in this article. Thank you. You know I have a question for the embryo lovers if you believe you cant damage an embryo how can you get your hair cut? After all isnt hair an extension of an embryo.

[rainbow4321]

5. You're very welcome...

Amazing how shrub is trying to keep the neocons happy by limiting/stopping funding yet here is Baylor, a BAPTIST associated institute, at the heart of this story.

Right now, the TX science community is worried that they may lose their best scientists to California. That hopefully will be the force that gets TX universities and medical schools to follow thru with more research and funding.
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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2931275%20

Texas losing ground in stem cell research:
Other states are sidestepping federal limits on what some call medicine's future



"It's frustrating," said Wetsel, a professor of molecular medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. "The embryos are all lined up and ready to go, but I can't use them because I don't have earmarked money in place for them."

Three and a half years after President Bush limited federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, Texas is falling behind other states that are finding ways to circumvent the restriction.

UT-Houston's Wetsel acknowledges he'd have to listen if California made a good offer, just because the advantages of generous funding, a friendly political environment and start-up companies are so compelling. "Any faculty member who gets an offer from California is going to be tempted," said William Brinkley, Baylor College of Medicine's vice president for graduate sciences. "Some universities are going to lose faculty to California. Baylor might be one of them."

<snip>
He compares the national stem cell research landscape to that of HIV/AIDS research in the early 1980s. "California was the first state to set aside money for research then, and the rest of the country subsequently followed," Murad said. "I think that's going to happen now with stem cell research, including in Texas.

[Straight Shooter]

6. Why am I suddenly reminded of U.S. manufacturers dissing VCR's?

Anyone else remember that? The U.s. could have gotten a lockhold on VCR technology but pooh-poohed the idea. Sony took the idea and ran with it. Lo and behold, it was an economic miracle for them.

Baylor has some of the best and brightest at TMC. It seems to me that we are jeopardizing their futures in medicine. I wonder if some of them will decide to move to Korea ...