Nebraskas history of biomedical research in the academic and medical fields has brought the state national recognition for work such as that of researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, who in 1997 injected liver cells into diseased tissue, resulting in improved function and in the patient no longer needing a liver transplant. However, developments in the legislative area resulting from ethical and social debate may hinder both future innovation and the attracting of top researchers in stem cell research if a research ban and penalty for such research is approved.
As no federal legislation in the United States regulates stem cell research (except by an executive order to not allow federal funding to be used for embryonic stem cell research except on human embryonic stem cell lines created before August 9, 2001), each state is responsible for determining policy and funding for stem cell research. Nebraska law also limits the use of state funds from the tobacco settlement to the state healthcare cash fund from being used for human embryonic stem cell research.
A bill was introduced in 2007 and carried over into 2008 that would ban both human reproductive and therapeutic cloning using somatic cell nuclear transfer. In addition to the ban, the bill seeks to classify this type of research activity as a felony with harsh penalties. Funding for research is available through the National Institutes of Health, state funding, and private foundations and research grants.
Research in the department of virology at the University of Nebraska includes the interaction between the neurological and immune systems and the laboratorys discovery that T cells mount a spontaneous response to protect injured neurons. Their research also includes central nervous system regeneration of damaged retina in a mouse model using rodent embryonic progenitor cells. The long-term goals include returning vision in cells that do not naturally regenerate.
The stem cell and bone marrow transplantation team at the University of Nebraska Medical Center is involved in over 400 research protocols and clinical trials for cancer, heart diseases, diabetes, musculoskeletal disease, and other illnesses. In addition to treatment, the centers research is conducted to improve post-transplant quality of life by reducing transplant-related complications. One such study follows peripheral stem cell transplant patients for sleep disturbances, fatigue, and pain and compares the biological indicators of sleep quality and cycles, as well as determining the effect on caregivers sleep quality and cycles.
After the success in 1997 of injecting liver cells, researchers have turned to studying the possibility of using human embryonic stem cells to create liver cells. The scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center are working with National Institutes of Health-approved stem cell lines in mouse models. As with all research, preliminary testing is necessary before federal grant money can be requested, as federal money is limited to research that has been shown to be viable, and even then, funding is very competitive.
The Nebraska Center for Cellular Signaling, established in 2003 through National Institute of Health funding, created a center of biomedical research in Nebraska. The center is the result of collaboration between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Creighton Medical School, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The centers mission is to improve oral and dental health. To meet this goal, researchers focus on cellular biology (adhesion and motility and cancer biology), with projects on oral and colon cancer, DNA damage, ubiquitin ligases, and signaling.
Nebraskans for Research was formed in 2000 as an advocacy and public education group to support medical research within the state, including stem cell research. The organizations goals are to gain increased funding for biomedical research for economic growth and improved medical treatments for human disease and illnesses, as well as attracting top researchers to the state. To meet this goal, the organization promotes the successes of Nebraska researchers to the public through online content, media coverage, and conferences or lectures showcasing a variety of topics from ethics, to basic research, to accomplishments. With a goal of training future scientists, the group also develops programs for science teachers to use in their classes.
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