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Science 8 May 2009:
Vol. 324. no. 5928, pp. 727 - 728
DOI: 10.1126/science.1174935
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Policy Forum

Medicine:

A History Lesson for Stem Cells

James M. Wilson

When President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order on 9 March 2009 rolling back the previous administration's restrictions on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research, he took pains to temper Americans' hopes for quick fixes. "At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown and it should not be overstated," the president said. "I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek" (1). Unfortunately, some stakeholders in hESC research have failed to exhibit the same restraint, effectively promising cures for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, macular degeneration, and hearing loss, to name a few.

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;

e-mail: wilsonjm{at}mail.med.upenn.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)