Stem Cell Survey Authority; Medical School Dean Can Comment On Stem Cell Research Breakthrough

By Anne Buckley

Virginia Commonwealth University has two experts available for comment regarding the announcement Sunday that scientists have found a plentiful source of stem cells in amniotic fluid and placenta, sidestepping the controversy over destroying embryos for research.

Thomas F. Huff, Ph.D., vice provost of VCU Life Sciences, and Jerome F. Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine, are both available to media seeking comment on the breakthrough.

Huff oversees the annual VCU Life Sciences Survey, which in December 2006 showed a decline for the first time in three years of Americans' support for stem cell research. The survey has tracked Americans' opinions on such research since 2001. Strauss, a nationally recognized expert in women's health, can speak to stem cell derivation research.