NIH Approves Additional Stem Cell Lines

NIH has made 13 additional human embryonic stem cell lines eligible for federally funded research. The cell lines, which include four that were previously approved under the George W. Bush Administration, were posted to the NIH Stem Cell Registry on April 27. Two of those lines—H7 and H9—have been used extensively by researchers over the past few years. “Today’s action should provide welcome reassurance to the many researchers who have been working on lines developed in the early days of stem cell research. They can continue without interruption, and we can all be assured that valuable work will not be lost,” NIH Director Francis S. Collins said in a statement. The total number of human embryonic stem cell lines available for federal funding now stands at 64. An additional 100 lines are pending approval.