NIH prohibits stem cells from embryos created for science

— -- The National Institutes of Health will fund human embryonic stem cell research on cells donated by fertility clinic patients, but won't underwrite studies in which embryos are created solely for producing cloned cells for treatments, the federal agency said Friday.

NIH also will not fund any cell research mixing human and animal embryonic cells, so-called "chimeras," under the guidelines.

"No question these guidelines will greatly expand the number of cells available for research," says acting-NIH head Raynard Kington. In March, President Obama called for increased federal support of embryonic stem cell research, and requested the NIH guidelines.

"We think this is the best way to pursue research which is ethically acceptable," Kington says. NIH spent $88 million on human embryonic stem cell research last year.

1n 1998, a University of Wisconsin team first isolated human embryonic stem cells in the lab. The cells are controversial because they are collected by destroying early-stage human embryos, a reason for limiting federal funding cited in 2001 by then-President George W. Bush.

Medical researchers, however, say the cells may reveal the genetic origins of ailments and someday serve as sources of replacement tissues in everything from spinal cord injury to diabetes.

"We see this as tremendous progress. Some groups and scientists have wanted the administration to go further, but we are happy to have this progress after such a long period of limited opportunities to pursue this very important line of research," says Alan Leshner, head of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Following a 30 day-comment period, the new guidelines would come into force on July 7, 2009. Stem cell researchers who have already submitted grant proposals to NIH will only receive funding after that date.

In 2001, President Bush restricted federal funding of embryonic stem research to cell lines already created, a decision that limited federal support to about 21 lines, or families of cells derived from one embryo. "There is no way to know" how many cell lines would eventually become available to funding under the new guidelines, Kington said, although he cited reports of about 700 in scientific reviews. No cloned human embryonic stem cell lines are currently in existence, he added.