ACT Comments on U.S. Appeals' Court's Dismissal Ruling in Case Challenging
Federal Funding of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Ruling Should Clear Way for More Expedited NIH Approval of Funding of Company's
hESC Lines and Other Funding Initiatives
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Aug 27, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Advanced Cell Technology,
Inc. ("ACT")(ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, today issued
a statement on the U.S. Appeals Court's ruling, upholding a lower court's
dismissal of the case, "Sherley v. Sebelius," 11-5241, U.S. Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit (Washington), on the permissibility of federal
funding of embryonic stem cell research.
"This court ruling should be of considerable benefit to ACT and our embryonic
stem cell-based clinical programs," commented Gary Rabin, chairman and CEO. "It
effectively removes major speed bumps for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
in terms of approving the several stem cell lines that we have submitted for
their consideration for funding. With Friday's decisive ruling, we expect that a
number of our embryonic stem cell lines will be approved for funding in coming
months."
"Sherley v. Sebelius" had sought to block the United States Health and Human
Services Department and the NIH from spending federal funds for research with
hESCs, contending that doing so would violate the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, a
short rider attached to legislation passed in 1996.
"This ruling removes a great deal of the ambiguity that has hampered legislative
attempts to provide an efficient mechanism for federal funding of hESC research,"
continued Mr. Rabin. "The path for legislators to enact such legislation has now
been cleared, and in that case we are optimistic that there could be encouraging
new developments in the legislative arena, as well, in coming months. We would
certainly hope that our patented, proprietary 'embryo-safe' single-cell
blastomere technique would be a part of any such conversation. We feel that if we
could educate more Americans about this technique, and how directly and
effectively it addresses the various ethical objections to hESC research, that
broad support for the technique and the field overall would quickly fall into
place."
More commentary on Friday's court ruling will be posted today on Mr. Rabin's
Chairman's blog.
About Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. is a biotechnology company applying cellular
technology in the field of regenerative medicine. For more information, visit
advancedcell.com. |
