Posted by Alla Katsnelson, "The Scientist.com"
22nd February 2010
NIH tweaks stem cell rules
The US National Institutes of Health on Friday (Feb 19) proposed a change to its definition of a human embryonic stem cell. Presently, stem cell lines are defined as being derived from a blastocyst-stage embryo. The proposed revision would amend that wording to "up to and including the blastocyst stage." The policy, published in the Federal Register, is open for public comment. The issue was raised when stem cell company Advanced Cell Technology submitted applications to include five stem cell lines derived from earlier stage embryos in the NIH database, ScienceInsider reports. The agency's director of the Office of Science Policy, Lana Skirboll, told Reuters it was a "relatively small technical change" and noted, "This changes none of the ethical requirements in the guidelines."
22nd February 2010
NIH tweaks stem cell rules
The US National Institutes of Health on Friday (Feb 19) proposed a change to its definition of a human embryonic stem cell. Presently, stem cell lines are defined as being derived from a blastocyst-stage embryo. The proposed revision would amend that wording to "up to and including the blastocyst stage." The policy, published in the Federal Register, is open for public comment. The issue was raised when stem cell company Advanced Cell Technology submitted applications to include five stem cell lines derived from earlier stage embryos in the NIH database, ScienceInsider reports. The agency's director of the Office of Science Policy, Lana Skirboll, told Reuters it was a "relatively small technical change" and noted, "This changes none of the ethical requirements in the guidelines."