The creation of the Tissue Engineering Resource Center will bring attention to Tufts and place the University at the forefront of vital research in the field. The first of its kind in the world, its foundation shows that Tufts is taking steps to lead research initiatives in the ever-expanding field of biomedical engineering.
The center's first project focuses on the structure of synthetic tissue and its effects on the differentiation of stem cells. The center was created by a grant from the National Institute of Health, and thus is partly dependant on the outcome of November's elections for continued funding.
The Bush administration has not made secret its disapproval of stem cell research. The government currently bans the funding of stem cell research due to moral reasons. Opponents, including the Roman Catholic Church and the religious right of the Republican Party, are against the issue because embryos can be destroyed in the process of research.
The benefits of stem cell research, however, far outweigh the concerns of these conservative reaches. The Republican Party is not even unified in its opposition. Nancy Regan, a stalwart of the party, voiced her support of stem cell research after the death of her husband this summer. The reward of stem cell research remains unknown, largely because the Bush administration continues to stifle its development in the United States.
The majority of Americans support stem cell research, according to a study by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. The nationwide survey found 72 percent surveyed support stem cell research in order to study diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and juvenile diabetes.
The Tissue Engineering Resource Center will put its research to practical work by studying use of stem cells to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL. Both students and faculty will study the technique aimed to help a common, but severe, injury that afflicted over 200,000 people in the country last year.
The method Tufts will use won't even deal with embryonic cells - instead new ACLs will be grown from bone marrow. But the Bush administration's policy won't differentiate between what kinds of stem cells are used in research. This black-and-white viewpoint will suffocate the ability for American scientists to remain at the cutting edge of research.
The United States may very well see a drain of biomedical talent leaving for European or Asian countries that are more hospitable to stem cell research. In order to stay the best in the world in biomedical engineering research, the United States must enable researchers to use stem cells in their work. The Tissue Engineering Resource Center is working on issues that will enhance the quality of life for many Americans and others.
Tufts should be proud that the National Institute of Health has enabled the University the ability to do ground-breaking research. The Bush administration should see that stem cells are likely to be crucial to future research in the growing biomedical engineering field. Hopefully, policies will change and Tufts will be given more funding to continue this vital research.
