Stem cells hold great promise for the development of new and exciting therapeutic strategies in the fight against diseases and injuries of animals and humans. Since 1998, when a veterinarian became the first person to derive and propagate pluripotent stem cells from human embryos, research into the biology of animal and human stem cells has proceeded at a breathtaking pace. The AVMA recognizes the enormous impact that research on stem cells will have on ultimately leading to a potentially diverse array of clinical applications in veterinary and human medical care.

Therefore, the AVMA takes the following position on the study and use of stem cells:

• The AVMA fully supports and encourages the ethical study and use of animal stem cells for the benefit of animal and human health;
• The AVMA is in full accordance with the "Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research" as published in 2005 by the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences (http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11278.html);
• The AVMA recognizes that the protection of animal welfare, as set forth in the Animal Welfare Act and by regulatory (eg, Public Health Service) and other recognized (eg, National Institutes of Health) agencies, must always apply during the course of research involving the mixing of animal (eg, mouse) and human stem cells and/or other biological products in scientifically valid experimental procedures (eg, production of chimeras, use of animal-derived feeder cells); and
• The AVMA affirms that the study and use of therapeutic and reproductive cloning using animal stem cells for the benefit of animal health and welfare be conducted according to ethical principles of veterinary medicine.