Stem Cell Research Resumes -- for Now

Sept. 10, 2010— -- Following an outcry from the Obama administration and the scientific community, an appeals court Thursday lifted the controversial Aug. 23 injunction placed on federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research by Judge Royce C. Lamberth.

Fearing the temporary injunction would set back valuable research on difficult-to-treat illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, the Obama administration had issued an emergency request to Lamberth to lift the ban until matters were settled in court on Sept. 1.

Standing behind his original ruling, the judge rejected the request earlier this week, leaving supporters of the research little room to hope for a timely reversal of the ban.

In a surprising turn of events however, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia granted a request from the Justice Department to stay the funding ban, saying that the Obama administration could resume funding the research while a full appeal of the case is processed.

Though research can resume for the time being, the fate of human embryonic stem cell research is still very much in the air, scientists said.

"It's hard for researchers to know how to plan for the future," said Timothy Kamp, a University of Wisconsin researcher who has been focusing on embryonic stem cells in heart disease. "This is obviously a temporary change in the tides and we will be hesitant to initiate new projects using human embryonic stem cells until this is sorted out.

"We're obviously delighted that the injunction is lifted, but there are enough legal questions with the existing structure of the law that there is potential for the appeal to not be successful," he added.

Other scientists were more hopeful.

Doug Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, said in a prepared statement that the development was "terrific news."

"I realize that this is a temporary order, but I am hopeful that the Court of Appeals understands the enormous potential this research holds, it's promise for millions of patients, and will allow regular funding of the work to resume," he said.