"There are a lot of new studies about sources from adult stem cells, from human fat cells, and placenta," says Tommy Thompson, secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), "It's not just embryonic cells" that may provide stem cell lines for research. A decision, he says, could be reached as soon as next week. A meeting slated for April 25 to review submitted proposals was quietly and indefinitely postponed.
The administration's presumed position makes no sense to many scientists, including 80 Nobel laureates and 115 college and university leaders who have lobbied, via position papers, for federal funds to allow embryonic research to begin. The plasticity of these cells, as compared to those derived from other sources, is preferable. "For the [United States] not to fund this research will lead to an exodus of talent to other countries and will eventually hurt our biotech and pharmaceutical industries, with potentially disastrous ...
