The Niche
Uncertainty surrounding NIH stem cell guidelines
At the ISSCR meeting in Barcelona, Harvard’s Kevin Eggan told reporters he isn’t sure that any human embryonic stem cells are eligible for U.S. federal funding right now. The principles of the just-released US NIH guidelines are clear on what’s fundable; the details are anything but. And until those details are unclear, Eggan and others are worried that some institutions won’t let researchers use resources acquired with federal dollars; another worry is that institutions won’t let awarded NIH grant funds flow to researchers.