Election Day Tidings
Oh what a beautiful morning:
A good day for stem cell research supporters in several key elections:
First, the ballot initiative in Missouri:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch--here are the raw numbers.And here's a story:
Constitutional Amendment #2 Constitutional
amendment to allow any stem cell research that federal law
allows
98% of precincts
simple majority
1,057,930 Yes
1,012,164 No
Passing
Updated: 11/8/2006 6:48:01 AM
Stem cell proposal wins, AP says
By Matt Franck
ST. LOUIS
POST-DISPATCH
11/08/2006
A Missouri ballot measure to protect embryonic stem cell research won slim voter approval Tuesday, narrowly surviving an opposition campaign that for weeks had eroded the measure’s popularity, according to the Associated Press, which called the measure shortly before 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
In other state news, in Wisconsin, Jim Doyle has retained the governorship, and in Michigan Jennifer Granholm has also kept her post. Stem cell research has been a campaign issue in both states.
4 Comments:
It was a good day indeed for those in favor of government funded research.
http://scr45.blogspot.com
A company that describes itself as an "Adult stem cell company" uses aborted fetuses to derive cells for implantation into children in their Phase 1 Clinical Trial for Battens Disease. With the uproar about embryonic stem cells, I've wondered why this "fetal stem cell" use is not a concern. From http://www.stemcellsinc.com/clinicaltrials/clinicaltrials.html is the quote "Neural stem cells are isolated from the human fetal brain".
If funding for embryonic stem cell research is rejected by the U.S. Government, yet funding is approved for adult stem cell research, companies who use aborted fetuses in their research will be able to receive funds under the guise of being an “adult stem cell” company. I would imagine even so called “embryonic stem cell” companies would be able to receive funding if their research involves aborted fetuses.
If the House and Senate and some of the Public would deem embryos to be a human life and destruction of the embryo akin to “murder” and therefore research using embryos not appropriate for U.S. Government funding, then, how can funding for “adult stem cell” companies and “embryonic stem cell” companies that use aborted fetuses be tolerated. Certainly, destruction of fetuses is worse than the destruction of embryos and also would be considered killing or murder in the pursuit of science.
The Oregonian has reported on the Batten's Child that received the implantation of Fetal Neural Stem Cells.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1165811116171440.xml&coll=7
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arkitek Visualizes Stem Cells for Riken CDB
Arkitek Studios completes a new animation on the subject of stem cells for Riken’s Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), Kobe, Japan.
SEATTLE, WA, January 2, 2007 – Arkitek Studios has just wrapped production on a long awaited series of animations describing embryonic and adult stem cell biology.
This project was created for Riken’s Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), following a previous collaboration illustrating cadherin function in a 3D environment.
Regarding working with Arkitek, Riken CDB’s Doug Sipp comments, “For a small company to have such a deep mastery of both sophisticated computer graphics technology and fundamental concepts of molecular and cell biology is rare indeed. But more than that, it is the eagerness and the blend of intensity, curiosity and fun with which they attack the many questions and challenges that inevitably arise during the production process that sets them apart.”
As with the cadherins project, the stem cell animation is divided into multiple segments, detailing the origin and function of both adult and embryonic stem cells, as well as potential applications for their unmatched restorative abilities.
Arkitek CEO, Beth Anderson asserts, “Our team spent innumerable man hours integrating scientific research into the animations in order to clearly depict how these cells work. Arkitek sees this effort as having high scientific and social value.”
About Riken Center for Developmental Biology
Riken’s Center for Developmental Biology – located in Kobe, Japan – was launched in April 2000 under the auspices of the Millennium Project research initiative that was established to drive research in the fields of information technology, environmental science and the study of aging, areas of vital importance to both Japan and the world in the 21st century. For more information, contact Douglas Sipp, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Japan at +81-78-306-3043 or visit www.cdb.riken.jp.
About Arkitek Studios, Inc.
Arkitek Studios, Inc. develops high quality 2D and 3D animations, interactive content, print and sound design for the science, education and museum communities. Arkitek Studios’ award-winning artistic and technical staffs produce work that transforms complex concepts into engaging visuals that are compelling, beautiful and easily understandable by diverse audiences worldwide. For more information, contact Arkitek Studios in Seattle, WA, USA, at 1.206.286.0337 or visit www.arkitek.com.
Please visit www.arkitek.com for a quick link to the stem cells animation on Riken’s CDB site.
Contact:
Amy Jacobson
amy@arkitek.com
206-286-0337
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