Research Limitations in Connecticut

Research Limitations in Connecticut

The federal funding restrictions on hESC research is having an impact on researchers at the University of Connecticut. State finding has been authorized for stem cell research in Connecticut, but the limitations on federal funding are causing issues regarding where the research can take place. According to an article in the Hartford Courant, university officials are looking for private laboratory space to lease or buy that is separate from the University’s Center for Regenerative Biology, which was dedicated in 2003 and cost $20 million. They want to make sure no research on new hESC lines is conducted in buildings that receive federal funding.

The head of the center, Xiangzhong "Jerry" Yang, objects to the possibility of finding a new location, saying it would be impossible to oversee research not located in the Center. Yang is a leading proponent of SCNT technology and hopes to create human embryonic stem cells through cloning by the spring. Yang has a personal stake in the issue, as he has cancer. (The Connecticut Business Journal reported on Yang’s background and interest last month.)

The Courant also reported that Laura Grabel, a professor of natural sciences at Wesleyan University, is unsure whether she can perform her research in buildings that receive federal funding. Grabel wants to work on newer hESC lines. She will be speaking today in a panel discussion at Connecticut College, along with several other scholars.

The existing federally-funded hESC lines have been contaminated with mouse cells, leading some researchers to declare them useless.