A Pew Poll is a Good Sign for Small Cap Stem Cell Stocks (STEM, NBS, CUR, ISCO & BRTX)

The results of a recent Pew Center Poll regarding attitudes towards abortion and various forms of stem cell research could be a good sign for the stem cell industry along with small cap stem cell stocks like StemCells Inc (NASDAQ: STEM), NeoStem Inc (NASDAQ: NBS), Neuralstem, Inc (NYSEMKT: CUR), International Stem Cell Corp (OTCMKTS: ISCO) and BioRestorative Therapies (OTCBB: BRTX). Basically, Americans think that having an abortion is a moral issue with 49% of American adults believing abortion is morally wrong, 23% view it not as a moral issue and and 15% view it as morally acceptable. However and when Americans were asked about issues surrounding human embryos, such as stem cell research or in vitro fertilization, as a matter of morality, their views were different.

Basically, only 22% of Americans view embryonic stem cell research as morally wrong and only 16% viewed non-embryonic stem cell research the same way:

A closer look at the figures show a clear majority view embryonic stem cell research either is morally acceptable (32%) or is not a moral issue (36%). Certainly, there were differences when it comes to partisanship and ideology, but only 30% of Republicans or Republican leaners viewed it as wrong verses 15% of Democrats or Democratic leaners. Even among the major religious groups, white evangelical Protestants were the most likely to say embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong, but even so, the figure stood at 38% verses 75% for those who think abortion is morally wrong.

As for the moral acceptability of medical research using stem cells that are not derived from human embryos, the overwhelming majority of adults said that its either morally acceptable (33%) or is not a moral issue (42%) with only 16% saying such research is morally wrong.

 

With that in mind, here is a quick overview of the activities of five small cap stem cell stocks:

StemCells Inc. Aiming to discover, develop and commercialize breakthrough therapeutics and enabling tools and technologies for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery, StemCells is the first and only company to complete a US clinical trial using human neural stem cells, tackling central nervous system (CNS) disorders with its HuCNS-SC® product candidate. The StemCells CNS Program is currently in clinical development for spinal cord injury and for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease (PMD), a fatal myelination disorder in children, plus its in preclinical development with human neural stem cells for retinal disorders. In addition, other research and preclinical studies are underway for Alzheimer's disease and stroke. NeoStem Inc. Calling itself a leader in the emerging cellular therapy industry, NeoStem's business model includes the development of novel proprietary cell therapy products as well as the operation of a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing services to others in the regenerative medicine industry. NeoStem has three primary cell therapeutics at different stages of development: 1) AMR-001, a cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease; 2) A T-cell therapy for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions; and 3) A very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) which may offer the potential for true cellular regeneration for a variety of conditions. Neuralstem, Inc. With patented technology that enables the ability to produce neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, Neuralstem has the ability to control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia. Neuralstem has received FDA approval to begin a Phase II for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, and its been awarded orphan status designation by the FDA for this therapy. In addition, Neuralstem is targeting major central nervous system conditions with its NSI-566 cell therapy platform and has received approval to commence a Phase I safety trial in chronic spinal cord injury in January 2013. International Stem Cell Corp. With a powerful new stem cell technology called parthenogenesis which uses unfertilized eggs, International Stem Cell Corp promises to significantly advance the field of regenerative medicine by addressing the problem of immune-rejection by using unfertilized human eggs to create parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) that can be immune-matched to millions of people. International Stem Cell Corp is focused on using these stem cells to treat incurable diseases of the eye, the nervous system and the liver. BioRestorative Therapies. A developer of medical procedures using cell and tissue protocols that primarily involve adult stem cells, BioRestorative Therapies' cell and tissue protocols are designed for patients to undergo minimally invasive cellular-based treatments. These programs include: 1) The brtxDISC™ Program (Disc Implanted Stem Cells), a non-surgical treatment for bulging and herniated discs;  2) The ThermoStem® Program as a treatment for metabolic disorders and obesity using brown fat stem cells; and 3) The brtx-C Cosmetic Program, which when applied to human skin cells, appears to cause an increase in the production of collagen and fibronectin - proteins that are essential to combating the aging of skin.

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Finally, here is a look at the performance of all five small cap stem cell stocks:

As you can see from the above chart, their performance has not exactly been stellar since their recovery after the financial crisis – a reason to pay attention to the Pew Center poll because at least investors don't have to worry about the general public opposing stem cell research.