Abstract:

BACKGROUND: U.S.A scientists have conducted the top-level researches on stem cells all over the world; however, the related governance and policies are changed all the time.
OBJECTIVE: To study changes on policies and investments conducted by U.S.A. governments and companies, and potential great influences on global patterns.  
METHODS: SCI database (http://isiknowledge.com), Wanfang database (http://www.wanfangdata.com.cn), VIP database (http://www.vmis.net.cn/yixue/index.asp), official website of NIH (http://www.nih.gov/), and reports released by GBI Research, were searched by the first author. Search terms were “stem cell, USA, policy, invest” in English and “stem cell, USA” in Chinese. 128 papers related to policies and investments on stem cell in U.S.A. were retrieved, and there were 30 papers matching research requirements after excluding old, repeated and similar materials.  
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Debates on policies and investments on stem cell in U.S.A. mostly focus on if federal funds could be used for research on human embryonic stem cell (hESC), and there is not much limitation on non-federal funds supporting on hESC research. The limitation on hESC research supported by federal funds has partly loosed than before after accession of President Obama, though it has not resulted in consequent and immediate effects yet. There is a promising perspective on research and industry in field of stem cell because of strong supports from local governments and individuals, as well as enormous investment from industries, though funds issued by federal government have been limited in U.S.A. And hESC may become the priority field in the future.