The National Institutes of Health guidelines, announced Wednesday, allow Federal funding for research with stem cells that have been removed from human embryos. The rules forbid research on the embryo itself, which is prohibited by Federal law. Opponents quickly denounced Federal research with embryo cells.
Stem cells form very early in the gestation of a human being.
Scientists have found that the embryonic stem cells can be prompted to evolve into the individual types of cells found in each of the organs of the body. Last week Great Britain's government said it would introduce legislation to allow similar research in that nation. Dr. John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore said research with lab mice had shown that stem cells can restore nerve tissue and some function following stroke or spinal cord injury. The cells can also regrow bone marrow lost to disease or radiation, he said. Some researchers believe it may eventually be possible to nurture stem cells into whole new organs.