In a recent New England Journal of Medicine interview, National Institute of Health’s director Francis Collins was queried about stem cell research. His response is telling in what it lacks: he fails to mention proven results using adult stem cells:
Steinbrook: What will the results of stem-cell research mean for human health?
Collins: My crystal ball is just as cloudy as everyone else’s. However, the developments in understanding stem cells and how they could potentially be brought to bear for a whole host of medical problems are some of the more exciting things that have happened in the last decade. In terms of therapeutics, we are just so early on. The one clinical trial approved by the Food and Drug Administration — for spinal cord injury — is currently on hold.
The clinical trial put on hold by the FDA uses embryonic stem cells.
