" Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement today regarding the injunction issued yesterday by a U.S. District Court prohibiting the use of federal funds to support embryonic stem cell research:

" "The preliminary injunction issued yesterday by the U.S. District Court blocking federal funding of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research casts a dark cloud of uncertainty, for the moment, on promising ESC research. For more than a decade, ESC research consistently has demonstrated that it holds great hope for the development of breakthrough treatments and cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries, diabetes and more.

" "Each day we wait for the judicial process to play out is a day lost for patients and their families living with such diseases.

" "We already have seen the promising possibility of stem cell research with companies like Geron showing astonishing results in the area of spinal cord injuries. As we have previously said, researchers should pursue all areas of stem cell research in the search for new therapies and cures.

" "We hope the judicial process moves quickly to clear this uncertainty to permit federally funded ESC research to move forward again. Millions of patients are waiting." "

" Dr. John Kessler, director of the Feinberg Neuroscience Institute at Northwestern University, said one of the biggest obstacles is the public’s high expectations, and the common belief that stem cells will immediately lead to new treatments for disease.

" “There is no question in my mind that stem cell biology is going to revolutionalize the way we practice medicine,” Kessler said. “It’s not going to happen with the kind of time frame that people want. It’s not going to happen tomorrow. It’s not going to happen next year.” "

" The quote was from Ronald McKay, a stem cell researcher at the National Institutes of Health, and the topic was human embryonic stem cells. In an interview I did for The Washington Post in 2004, I asked McKay why so many people kept talking about the possibility that injections of stem cells into the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease might someday cure these people when, in fact, the scientific consensus at the time (and still today) was that such injections were unlikely to benefit such patients. ... “To start with, people need a fairy tale,” McKay told me. “Maybe that’s unfair, but they need a story line that’s relatively simple to understand.” "

" Given the growing threats to animal research, the research community must explore ways to develop new allies to promote responsible animal research. This workshop will examine how to “widen the tent” by involving patient groups, health care providers, industry and others who have a vested interest in protecting responsible animal research. Participants also will focus on broadening the base of support by engaging leaders worldwide on the health and scientific breakthroughs made possible through animal research. "