I need help! stem cell research question:?

Question

how much does stem cell research cost?

where is the money coming from?

any websites to back up? I can't find anymore...

Any help is appreciated. :]

Answer 1

In the USA, the only place doing unhindered stem cell research is the Howard Hughes Medical Center, which sits on a pile of private money. Hughes set it up as a tax dodge, but now it's filled with top scientific and medical researchers.

That's about all I can tell you. The rest of the country's research centers are hindered by Bush's limiting the stem cell lines and have no funding.

Answer 2

Embryonic stem cells are mostly funded by private means, as Bush banned federal funding for most embryonic stem cell lines.  He approved certain lines that had already been started before the date of the law.

As far as the rest.....   I had my stem cell transplant (the medically accurate term for a bone marrow transplant) paid for by American tax payers.  Literally, my medical insurance is Medicare and Medicaid.  My transplant used to cord blood units, I was in the hospital for 6 weeks and in daily outpatient care for another 6 weeks, and a year later am still on some quite expensive meds.  All paid for by the American working public.  I know to some degree that makes me look like I am living off the system, I am not.  I say that that way so that people understand that some stem cell research/treatments are in fact paid for publically.  A huge percentage of people think that Bush banned all public funds for all stem cells, or that he made stem cell research/treatment illegal.  He did not.

And my treatment did work, I am now leukemia free.  I do have some issues with graft v host disease, but most transplant patients do.  I dont know exactly how much my transplant cost, but when you its a lot.  Im gonna guess around 2-3 mil.  When you count a private room (all oncology rooms are private, and a stem cell transplant room has to be private because the patient has 0 immune system for a while during the transplant), all the meds, the blood bank services not just for the normal blood products I received but also on 2 units of cord blood, the out patient clinic after, and my 2000$ a month perscription bill...........

As far as websites....

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/faqs.asp

That is an faq page from the National Institute of Health on stem cells.  A few of the questions discuss funding of embryonic stem cells by public money and the bill Bush passed.

If you look up what proceedures Medicare will cover, you will find that stem cell transplants are one of them, as well as most state's Medicaid.

Also, the National Marrow Donors Program receives public money, I believe.  http://www.marrow.org