By now you may have heard that the first human trial using embryonic stem cells (ESC) in the United States will begin this summer. After 13 years of research and dollar150 million in costs, the Geron pharmaceutical company claims they are ready to move from rats to humans, and will be applying for permission from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do so in the first half of 2008. Geron refuses to release the exact date of application though it may have already applied. Geron has been working with human ESC (hESC) since 1998 and is considered by many to be the leader in the field. After experiments with over 2,000 animals were complete, Geron claims the therapy has shown no dangerous side effects, is safe and is now ready for human tests.
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