Embryo stem cell research in the US

The future of research on embryonic stem cells in the US looks uncertain, following the recent election of President George W Bush. Last year, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) drafted new guidelines that would permit government-funded researchers to work on embryo stem cells. But, reports last week's New Scientist, Bush has always sought to block such research in the public sector.

A spokesman for the new administration last week reiterated Mr Bush's opposition to the use of federal funds for 'experimentation on embryonic stem cells that require live human embryos to be discarded or destroyed'. The policy of President Clinton was now under review, he added. But according to a report in the New York Times, supporters of the research have cause for optimism: Tommy G Thompson, the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services, has been an enthusiastic supporter of privately-funded embryo stem cell research. However, Mr Thompson has yet to make a statement on the issue of federal funding.