No matter who wins the White House in America’s November elections, the climate for embryonic stem cell research will be far warmer than under President Bush, according to a report in CNNmoney.com. Bush has twice vetoed bills intended to loosen restrictions on stem cell research. The three leading candidates, however, are all on record as supporting it. Barack Obama has said, "Stymieing embryonic stem cell research is a step in the wrong direction." Hillary Clinton has called for funding for "additional cell lines in order to pursue the promising avenues for research." And John McCain has said: "stem cell research has the potential to give us a better understanding of deadly diseases and spinal cord injuries affecting millions of Americans".

Only a handful of biotechs are using human embryos to derive stem cells. Three companies, Neuralstem, Geron and Advanced Cell Technology, all plan to begin testing in humans this year. Investment analysts feel that the boost to embryonic stem cells may also benefit adult stem cell companies. "I think that all these names are going to do well going into the election," says biotech analyst Ren Benjamin. "The entire stem cell space is likely to benefit with the additional funding, because you're likely to see a spill-over effect."

Geron recently announced that it will begin human tests of therapies derived from embryonic stem cells in spinal cords within a few months. However, its share price has been battered by the recent discovery that reprogrammed stem cells may be able to do the same job as stem cells from human embryos. Its CEO, Thomas Okarma, dismisses the newer technology. "The natural human embryonic stem cell is the gold standard and we have yet to see anything else come close," he told a conference recently. ~ CNNMoney.com, Feb 27, CNNmoney.com, Feb 12