The Texas Medical Board will consider whether to impose new rules on experimental stem cell therapies like the one Gov. Rick Perry underwent during back surgery last year.
The 19-member board will hear testimony Friday from supporters of looser rules that they say will lead to more innovation, and those who think there should be greater oversight over those experiments. The board could also decide to vote on the new rules.
Perry has been a proponent of greater experimentation and praised the procedure where he had his own stem cells injected into his back.
The Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved using adult stem cells to help people heal from surgery, but experimentation is common. Some scientists tout the possible benefits, including treatment for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
