May 28, 2009
On May 26, 2009, Wisconsin Stem Cell Now submitted a comment on the National Institute of Health’s draft Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research.
The NIH draft guidelines can be viewed online at http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009draft.htm .
Wisconsin Stem Cell Now submitted the following comment:
NIH Stem Cell Guidelines
MSC 7997
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-7997
Dear Sirs:
I am writing on behalf of Wisconsin [...]
Stem cells are "unspecialized" cells that can generate healthy new cells, tissues, and organs. Embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos.
Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro-in an in vitro fertilization clinic-and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors.
They are not derived from eggs fertilized in a woman's body. The embryos from which human embryonic stem cells are derived are typically four or five days old and are hollow microscopic balls of cells called blastocysts. Learn More