The topic of genetics has been out of the spotlight recently, overshadowed by the economy and the war. Findings released by the New York Stem Cell Foundation have brought it back into the light. A recent paper on tissue cloning has shown that human stem cells can be grown beyond a rudimentary stage using a process similar to how Dolly the sheep was cloned over ten years ago.

Stem cells are a promising lead into making transplants much safer. One of the largest dangers of transplants is the risk of tissue rejection. If your body decides that the organ is an outside entity then it will use everything within its power to remove and kill it, even if that might mean the death of the body. We lessen this risk by using transplanted organs of similar blood types and organ donors from family if possible. If it isn’t an emergency surgery, it is advised that you donate some of your own blood several months before. Having your own blood transfused into you makes for a much safer surgery, as it greatly reduces the chances of rejection.

We do not have the ability to re-grow massive amounts of tissue. You cannot, for instance, have half of your liver removed to then have it re-implanted at a later date. This is where stem cells come in. The main focus of this research is to grow genetically identical tissue that can be transplanted into people who have suffered serious damage without the risk of rejection.

Many people are against using stem cells because they believe that human embryos must be killed to get them. The destruction of embryos is not necessary to obtain stem cells. They can be acquired from umbilical cords, as well as through biopsies on adults and children.

Current federal laws state that federal money cannot be used to fund any sort of research that uses embryonic stem cells. However, privately funded research is allowed to use any type of stem cell source. This creates an environment in which private research often advances faster than federal research. This is not conducive to long-term advancement, as most privately funded research is looking for the short gain that can satisfy stockholders.

Those federal laws can be supplemented by state regulation. Some states such as Illinois, California and New York, have laws that encourage embryonic stem cell research. Then there are states such as South Dakota, that have outlawed all research regardless of the source of the embryonic stem cells.

The New York finding shows that it might be possible to grow stem cells without the use of embryos. The process still isn’t very refined and we are far off from being able to grow usable tissue in a lab. However, a breakthrough in this area would send research years ahead.

If we really want to make stem cells a useful medical tool we need to standardize all research, regardless of who is doing the funding. This will create an environment in which public and private research can work together to make advancements that help long-term. It will also force researchers to focus on finding ethical and efficient sources of stem cells instead having researchers using different systems.

Even if the private sector has a break through, it cannot be involved with federal researchers depending on the stem cell source. This causes redundant research and wastes money.