Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) - Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Author: Staff and wire reports, The Plain Dealer
    With President Barack Obama signing an executive order Monday to permit federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research , researchers will now be able to attract more of the cutting-edge research to Northeast Ohio.

  The National Center for Regenerative Medicine, which houses the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, is based in Cleveland.

  It's a collaboration among Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

  The national center, which receives federal money, has 120 researchers. The stem cell center receives state money. Both have been unable to use their funding for embryonic stem cell research .

  With the tide shifting, "We plan on bringing research in from other states, [private research ] labs and countries, easily within the next three months at one of our three campuses," said Dr. Stan Gerson, the center's director, who also is director of the Ireland Cancer Center at UH.

  The ability to conduct local clinical trials with embryonic stem cells is about five to seven years away, he added.

  At the White House event attended by scientific researchers whose work stood to benefit from the new executive order, Obama said, "The majority of Americans - from across the political spectrum, and of all backgrounds and beliefs - have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research .

  The potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight, the perils can be avoided."

  Among the dangers, Obama said, was the potential for the cloning of humans. But he said his administration would put strict rules in place to prevent such cloning.

  "We will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction," Obama said. "It is dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society or any society."

  Obama's decision, which fulfills a campaign promise, continued to come under fire from many conservatives.

  "I fully support stem cell research , but I draw the line at taxpayer-funded research that requires the destruction of human embryos, and millions of Americans feel similarly," House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said in a statement.

  In August 2001, then-President George W. Bush banned federal funding of embryonic stem cell research except for studies on certain cell lines produced before the ban.

  Embryonic stem cells have the benefit of being extremely versatile because scientists can program them to become many different types of cells , including nerve or heart cells .

  Many scientists said Bush's prohibition severely constrained scientific research , driving research and researchers abroad.

  The national center here had been doing limited embryonic stem cell research that had been approved before the original ban. And it had begun setting up special labs and recruiting a small number of researchers.

  Now, the national center will be able to "exponentially" expand the number of researchers and attract commercial companies with stem cell expertise.

  "I wouldn't be surprised if companies outside of the region and the country [relocated] here," Gerson said. "They had been hesitant because of the restrictions. Now we can open a dialogue."

Angela Townsend and the Los Angeles Times contributed to this story. Caption: PAUL SANCYA ASSOCIATED PRESS Local researchers are hoping to perform research using embryonic stemcells after President Obama signed an order Monday allowing federal funding for such work. Former President Bush had banned federal money being used on embryonic stemcell studies beginning in 2001.