Confusion over stem cell research legislation n the USA creates opportunities, says Zacks analyst

The US Federal District Court for the District of Columbia this week issued a temporary injunction on President Barack Obama's 2009 executive order that expanded federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, returning to order the previous ban enforced by the Bush administration in 2001.

The news immediately halts National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding at academic and private research labs on embryonic stem cells. The ruling was a surprise, as several research programs had already initiated work under President Obama's executive order, says Jason Napodano, an analyst at Zacks Equity Research.

Controversy surrounding research using embryonic stem cells has grown since the NIH studies concluded in August 2000 that '...research involving human pluripotent stem cells...promises new treatments and possible cures for many debilitating diseases and injuries, including Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries. This hypothesis led to considerable interest by researchers on human embryonic stem cells development given their ability to differentiate into any type of cell. Potential treatments to debilitating disease could be developed from human embryonic stem cell lines.