Comments on California as a Stem Cell Hub

Regular readers of the Longevity Meme news will recall we pointed out an ongoing initiative to put major multi-billion dollar funding for stem cell research into the California state budget:

California to Become Stem Cell Hub? (Saturday February 07 2004)
SFGate comments on continuing efforts to allocate significant state funding to regulated embryonic stem cell research in California. Large sums of money, billions over the next decade, are mentioned, although the small print would seem to indicate that this will not kick in for a few years even if the necessary funding measures are passed. California is in the midst of a budget crisis in any case, which would seem to make any such long term planning speculative at best. If the Federal government carries forward with plans to ban this research, there could certainly be fireworks.

Stem cell research is, of course enormously important to our future health and longevity. It is likely to be the foundation of the first wave of meaningful medical technologies for extending healthy life span. (Largely by repairing damage rather than through preventative methods). Despite the efforts of governments worldwide to ban stem cell research or the vital technology of therapeutic cloning, scientists have demonstrated an amazing array of cures and therapies in trials and the laboratory.