1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Patients First Act of 2017 . 2. Purposes It is the purpose of this Act to— (1) intensify research that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions; (2) promote research and human clinical trials using stem cells that are ethically obtained and show evidence of providing clinical benefit for human patients; and (3) promote the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines without the creation of human embryos for research purposes and without the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo. 3. Human stem cell research and therapy (a) Authorization Part B of title IV of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 409J the following: 409K. Human stem cell research and therapy (a) In general The Secretary shall conduct and support basic and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, testing, and human clinical use of stem cells that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, including pluripotent stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether or not such pluripotent stem cells have an embryonic source), prioritizing research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefit in human patients, provided that such isolation, derivation, production, testing, or use will not involve— (1) the creation of a human embryo for research purposes; (2) the destruction of or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a living human embryo