Washington D.C., Dec 2, 2009 / 23:41 pm
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Wednesday approved the first experiments on human embryonic stem cells under the Obama administration’s new research policy.
The NIH authorized 11 stem cell lines produced by scientists at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and two cell lines created by researchers at Rockefeller University in New York, the Washington Post reports. The cell lines were obtained from embryos “left over” by couples who sought fertility treatments.
“This is a real change in the landscape," NIH Director Francis Collins said, according to the Washington Post.
He characterized the move as a “first down payment” that will “empower the scientific community to explore the potential of embryonic stem cell research."