Scientists in the United States have bemoaned the lack embryonic stem cells (ES cells) available to American researchers. A year on from President Bush's announcement that only embryonic stem cell lines in existence before 9 August 2001 can be used in US labs, just 16 cell lines are available for distribution. This contrasts with the 64 cell lines which the Bush administration claimed last summer were available across the world.
An article in Science magazine estimates that 'at most four' ES cell lines are in the hands of US researchers, although another seven are expected to become available in the next few months. Part of the problem seems to be that many of the lines on the National Institutes of Health list of approved ES cells are not in a fit state to be distributed. Of 19 lines listed at the University of Goteborg in Sweden, for instance, only three will be available in the near future: 10 are being held back until researchers have developed methods of growing them more easily.
Another reason for the slow progress of ES cell research in the US could be the political climate created by Bush's restrictive stance. 'I'm absolutely amazed at how little has been accomplished with human embryonic stem cells in this country,' Stanford University Nobel laureate, Paul Berg, told the Washington Post. 'If you look at what's happening elsewhere, in Australia, Israel and England, you get the feeling that they are rushing into this area of science because they see its promise. But here there's just no evidence of urgency.'
However, other researchers have suggested that good science comes to those who wait. 'It takes time to actually grow these cells,' said Ronald McKay, senior investigator at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes.
Sources and References
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Stem-cell research moves slowly
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'Show Us the Cells,' U.S. Researchers Say
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Stem cell research not yet booming
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