Utah

As stem cell research develops, the study of stem cells is moving into therapy. Patients can now benefit from regenerative treatment through bone marrow transplants, heart stem cell therapy (currently in clinical trials), and as burn patients. Utah leads in two of these types of therapies—bone marrow transplants and heart stem cell therapy.

The use of stem cells and the funding of research are governed primarily by federal laws. While scientists may use cells from current embryonic stem cell lines, they are prohibited from creating new embryos for the purposes of research. Instead, scientists receive unused embryos from fertility clinics. In 2001, President George W. Bush restricted stem cell research to the study of only 21 stem cell lines. In 2009, President Barack Obama overturned this ...