A report on the proposed direction of stem cell research in Italy, produced by an expert committee chaired by Nobel Prize winner Renato Dulbecco, demonstrates the influence of the Catholic Church on science within the country. It advocates experimentation with adult stem cells and somatic-cell nuclear transfer technology, but does not permit use of embryos and bans techniques that could lead to the creation of an embryo.

To strengthen its position that embryos should not be used, the Catholic University of Rome has opened a placenta bank that will carry out stem-cell research, headed by Salvatore Mancuso. Meanwhile, although the Dulbecco report endorses the use of umbilical cord and aborted fetus material, some researchers privately deplore its heavy bias toward adult stem-cell research and the decision to outlaw experimentation on spare embryos from in vitro fertilization clinics. They feel this excludes Italian scientists from working on what is widely considered to be the most biologically optimal tissue for stem-cell research.

The report backs the development of a IL 15 billion ($7.3 million US) project to investigate adult stem cell tissue, due to start this April. This will probably be headed by geneticist Angelo Vescovi from the San Raffaele institute, Milan, who tries to sound optimistic about the guidelines of the report, “They offer more than we expected,” he says, “although it remains to be seen if a non-fecundated oocyte also has the potential to be totipotent.” In addition, IL 40 billion has been announced to fund stem-cell research on a national basis and applications are invited by July.