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Stem Cell Research In Florida Helped By Decision

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By LINDSAY PETERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 9, 2009

President Barack Obama's order lifting federal limits to experimenting with embryonic stem cells opens one more door in the search for cures to Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and dozens of other disabling diseases, said Florida public university researchers today.

Since 2001, a federal ban has restricted them to working with adult stem cells and a limited number of human embryonic stem cells. And they have made progress. But they could do much more with the freedom to work with more embryonic cells, said Paul Sandberg, of the University of South Florida's College of Medicine.

"We won't be able to develop the therapies we need until we really understand the biology of stem cells, including the biology of embryonic stem cells," he said.

But Bill Bunkley, a local commentator on Christian talk radio station WTBN, 570 and 910 AM, questioned whether embryonic cells were as valuable as the researchers say they are. He's part of the coalition of religious groups that abhors the destruction of the embryo that occurs in the process of extracting its stem cells.

"Embryonic stem cells are very unstable to work with as opposed to regular stem cells," he said. "We are very encouraged by the progress being made with regular stem cells and very disappointed by Obama's order."

The consensus of medical researchers, however, is that research with embryonic cells holds great promise, said Dennis Steindler, the executive director of the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute.

"There is science that shows that these cells have a tremendous propensity to want to replace and repair tissue, and the field believes they are better at it than adult cells," Steindler said.

Under President George W. Bush, federal money for research on human embryonic stem cells was limited to those cell lines that were created before Aug. 9, 2001. No federal dollars could be used on research with any other embryo cell lines.

On Monday, Obama lifted that restriction, though Congress must still determine whether to lift a legislative ban on federal funding of human embryo experiments.

"What is important is this opens the door," Sandberg said.

Increased federal funding will be particularly important as research funding drops in Florida and other states grappling with sinking revenues.

The Johnnie B. Byrd Sr. Alzheimer's Center and Research Institute and USF have warned Florida lawmakers that they need more money to keep operating or they may lose their federal designation as a national research center.

Reporter Lindsay Peterson can be reached at (813) 259-7834.

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