from FRC Action: For all the controversy surrounding the Missouri ballot initiative on embryonic stem cell (ESC) experiments last November, it appears that the state could have saved itself the trouble. Although voters agreed to modify the state constitution to protect such experiments, recent reports suggest that few may desire to conduct it. Due to the lack of success with ESC and the ethical headaches surrounding it, two major entities have abandoned the research altogether. According to The Washington Post, the founders of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have decided to slash its $300 million ESC expansion project because of the growing opposition to experiments that destroy human embryos. Another prominent hub for ESC, the Univ. of Missouri, lost its $150 million research center when lawmakers voted to pull the venture's funding. And the pullback isn't limited to the U.S. A former top executive of ES Cell International in Singapore says that the company's investors are impatient with the lack of progress on ESC and no longer want to back the experiments after they failed to "create a clinical product." Perhaps the changing ESC landscape will help break Congress of its stubborn demands for more funding and also serve as a valuable lesson for states engaged in a similar debate. See also: Stem Cell Movement Faces Setbacks in Mo.Tags: FRC, stem cell research, stem cells To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!
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