Idea of the Day: A National Stem Cell Registry

In order to streamline research and improve research collaboration, the federal government should establish a national stem cell registry and possibly a national stem cell bank for all pluripotent stem cell lines, including both embryonic and iPS cell lines.

A stem cell registry is simply a database of all stem cell lines that are available to researchers through an organization such as the National Institutes of Health. The registry contains all validated information about the cells, such as the date and place of their derivation, the informed consent protocols used to obtain the embryos or other cells from which the cell line originated, the biological and chemical makeup of the culture media used to nourish the cells, and the results of tests performed on the cells.

For more on this topic, please see:

• A Life Sciences Crucible: Stem Cell Research Done Responsibly and Ethically by Michael Rugnetta and Michael Peroski