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Published online 22 April 2009 | Nature 458, 950-951 (2009) | doi:10.1038/458950a
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Still strict on stem cells
Even some Bush-approved cell lines could be denied federal funding.
US stem-cell researchers are applauding draft guidelines released by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last week to govern federally funded research on human embryonic stem-cell lines. Some, however, say the provisional rules are still too restrictive because they would exclude lines derived from embryos created for research purposes.
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Regulating stem cell research by restricting federal funds is only effective for academic research labs. It might not be ideal in an industrial setting where researchers rely on profit rather than the government for funding. Perhaps laws should be imposed to ensure guidelines are being followed . On the other hand, I find that the stem cell research guidelines are a bit too stringent. I think deriving stem cells from embryos is not unethical as long as you don't end up destroying the embryo. In the same way, its not illegal to take cell samples from an adult, so why not from an embryo?