Uncertainties cloud stem cell developments

seemed possible, applied only to embryos created by fusion of egg and sperm – and not those made by cloning techniques. But after an appeal court overturned that ruling, the House of Lords gave the go-ahead to a government panel to issue licenses for therapeutic cloning research. Now the Judicial Office of the House of Lords has ruled that the anti-embryo research group ProLife Alliance can challenge the current regulatory system. The case is expected to be heard later this year. A judgement in favour of the challenge could have a serious effect on Britain's stem cell research. In the US, researchers are still waiting to get a full bite of the research apple in the face of a public funding ban on most aspects of such research. But there is now a small hope that a ban may turn into a moratorium with the prospect eventually of some research. The US President's Council on Bioethics, which advises President Bush on issues in medicine and biology, appears to be edging towards that recommendation. At its meeting in Washington DC last month, all of the council's members supported a ban on cloning to produce a human baby but they were divided on therapeutic cloning. The majority of the council supports a moratorium of two to six years on research cloning, but a few of its 18 members – including some scientists – have voiced opposition to such a move. Scientific promise in the therapeutic potential of early embryonic stem cell research to treat presently intractable diseases is still meeting ethical, regulatory and patent challenges. Nigel Williams reports on recent moves in Europe and the US. High hopes: Researchers continue to look at a variety of sources of potential stem cells given the ethical issues surrounding the use of embryo-derived cells for human treatments. Bone marrow cells, shown here, have been one source for such cells but many researchers believe embryo-derived cells hold most promise.