Stem cell clinical guidelines, stem cell registry open for public comment
The University of Massachusetts has launched its international stem cell registry, which supports searches of particular cell lines. The full application should be launched within a month. The team decided to use an iterative approach for incorporating more data and functionality because the field is changing so quickly. See the press release.
As more and more researchers move into stem cells, researchers are trying to find optimal systems to share data and cell lines, and from what I can tell efforts have been cooperative. The European Human Embryonic Registry is a database of more than 175 hESC lines. Funding for the UK Stem Cell Bank was first allocated in 2002, and it is currently distributing 8 cell lines. WiCell distributes most of the cell lines approved for federal funding in the U.S., and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute recently announced that it would ship iPS cell lines created at its facilities.
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After a delay of a couple months, a subcommittee of the International Stem Cell Research Committee has posted draft guidelines for clinical translation of stem cells , and is accepting comment until the beginning of October.
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