Politics
Wednesday July 1, 2009
General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Alex Bush
BOSTON, Mass, July 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - General Electric has announced that it will use embryonic stem cells provided by Geron Corporation for the purpose of testing toxic effects of drug treatments.
GE issued a statement, attempting to preempt criticism over the decision, saying, "We acknowledge the considerable debate and take very seriously the ethical and societal issues associated with research using stem cells derived from embryonic or fetal tissue."
"We conduct our research in an ethically and scientifically responsible manner," the statement said.
However, embryonic stem cells have been the center of heated controversy since harvesting the cells requires the destruction of embryonic human beings.
But Geron Corporation indicates that in this case it believes that the ends justify the means.
"Up to three quarters of toxicity problems are not detected until preclinical or later stages of drug development and this significantly increases the cost of developing new drugs," Geron Corporation said in a press release, "Earlier detection of toxicity problems could reduce both overall drug development costs and potentially harmful patient exposure in clinical trials."
Konstantin Fielder, General Manager of Cell Technologies at GE Healthcare said that stem cells harvested from human embryos could even replace lab rats as the primary scientific testing method.
"Once you have human cells and you can get them in a standardized way, like you get right now your lab rats in a standardized way, you can actually do those experiments on those cells," he said.
Both GE and Geron have said that the stem cells to be used are listed on a National Institutes of Health registry, making them eligible for use in the United States.
Contact Information for General Electric:
https://www.ge.com/contact/contact_form.html?ref=http://www.ge.com/
Or by phone: (203) 373-2211
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- 32 States Saw Personhood Initiatives in 2009 - Movement Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary
- Call for Reform of U.S. Bishops' CCHD Bolstered by New Evidence
- New Zealand Study Finds Abortion Increases Risk of Mental Health Problems
- United Nations Report Pushes for Right to Sex-Change Operations
- Never Mind: Judge Yanks 15-Year-Delayed Illinois Parental Notice Law Back Into Legal Limbo
- Confusion about Euthanasia Must be Dispelled Says Prominent Anti-Euthanasia Activist
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to State's Homosexual Partnership Law
- Courageous Pro-Life Former MP Gus Mitges Passes Away
- Ad Depicting Nude Couple Having Sex Not Pornographic: UK Advertising Standards Authority
- Pro-Life Lawmakers Condemn 'Sham' Health Bill Abortion Compromise
- Conservative Pro-Life, Pro-Family Dark Horse in NY 23 Race Defeated in Close Race
- No British Referendum on Lisbon Treaty: Tory Leader
- Letters to the Editor - Nun Abortion Clinic Escort
Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Gardasil Researcher Admits Vaccine May Be More Dangerous than the Disease
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- Did Feminism Benefit Men more than Women? Prominent US Feminist Asks
- Mother Charged in Murder of Her Autistic Son
- USCCB Launches All-Out Campaign against Abortion-Funding Healthcare
- Coalition of Catholic Groups Calls for Massive Reform of U.S. Bishops' Social Justice Arm
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- Stem Cell Breakthrough Could Create Babies Without Men, Women, or Sexual Relations
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.