Perhaps science can make his political problem just go away. Recently, scientists working with fat sucked out of patients during liposuction were able to isolate stem cells which, in a laboratory dish, gave rise to cells that make muscle, bone and cartilage and also to cells that made more of themselves. There is growing clamour in the US for the abandonment of embryonic stem cell research and a focus instead on adult stem cells. But no matter how appealing the prospect of deriving spare parts from spare tyres may be, the promise of adult stem cell research is just that - a promise. It must not divert us from a full exploration of all varieties of stem cells.
Embryonic cells have the potential to develop into all basic tissue types.
They could provide a potentially limitless source of tissue for transplantation. Adult stem cells, on the other hand seem to have disadvantages such as low number and poor accessibility. It was in 1994, after President Clinton banned the use of federal funds to create embryos for research purposes, that Congress went even further, extending the ban to research on surplus embryos. To get round that ban, proponents came up with a legal sleight of hand. As long as someone not federally funded has derived the cells from the embryo, research into the stem cells themselves may go forward.