The American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair recently held its 16th annual conference in Clearwater, FL. The membership of the society, which includes a substantial number of scientists working with stem cells as potential treatments for central nervous system diseases, voted in favor of the following statement.
"The American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR) is supportive of the new NIH Guidelines which allow NIH-funded research for human embryonic stem cells derived from embryos created by in vitro fertilization for reproductive purposes and that are no longer needed for reproductive purposes. We have long supported scientific guidelines for the proper study of cellular therapies (www.asntr.org) and support the NIH and the National Academy of Science guidelines. We believe that stem cells have tremendous scientific and therapeutic potential. In order to fulfill that potential, new stem cell lines are essential. This will require further reduction of restrictions in methodology in obtaining these cells after careful ethical evaluation".
Membership of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair
Kathy Steece-Collier Ph.D., ASNTR President
Evan Snyder, M.D., Ph.D. ASNTR - Immediate Past President
Roy Bakay M.D., Past President & Chair of the ASNTR Practice Committee