Michelle Malkin links to this Michael Fumento article about how the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund is refusing to fund some extremely promising research into using adult stem cells to fight diabetes. Fumento conjectures that the only reason they are refusing to fund this research is because it involves adult stem cells instead of embryonic stem cells. If so, that is truly horrific.

"In my view this is the most promising research currently and certainly worth pursuing," says Larry Raff, President of the Autoimmune Disease Research Foundation. Scientists I interviewed, such as University of Kansas stem cell researcher Kathy Mitchell, agreed. Raff is particularly excited because so many autoimmune illnesses other than diabetes may be treated or cured with Faustman's method.

Aside from her prestigious academic position, Faustman's credentials are impeccable. She has authored or co-authored over 100 published papers, reviewed JDRF grant requests, and chairs the board of the Society for Women's Health Research.

Yet the JDRF, which awarded at least $85 million in grants last year and has funded three-fourths of the Edmonton surgeries, won't give Faustman a penny. It has rejected her clinical trial applications three times. I asked why but JDRF representatives refused to be interviewed, specifically citing my writings on the benefits of adult stem cells.

He documents how the JDRF is dishonest about the success of adult stem cell research and are spending a lot of their money on fighting for California's Proposition 71 to allow research on embryonic stem cells.

Her transgression seems to be that her treatment involves restoring dead insulin-producing cells in the pancreas with ASCs already present in the body. Despite what the JDRF would have you think there have already been tremendous breakthroughs in ASC therapy, with over 80 treatments and almost 300 human clinical trials underway – versus zero treatments or trials for ESCs. Still, nothing would belie the false claims of ESC lobbyists more than curing diabetes with ASCs.

It's one thing to support research using embryonic stem cells, but why ignore all the promising research that has already been done with adult stem cells? I don't want to believe, as Fumento does, that they are more driven by support for embryonic stem cell research than by a desire for finding a cure. I'm cynical, but that seems an attitude too despicable for a charity such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund. If they object to Fumento's conclusion, why don't they make a statement explaining why they are rejecting this promising line of research?