The committee advising the US National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins voted unanimously today to approve 27 more human embryonic stem cell lines. The decision comes two days after Collins announced the first 13 lines that are eligible for funding with taxpayer dollars.

The 27 lines — part of a single submission by Douglas Melton of Harvard University — did not strictly adhere to the agency’s guidelines, established on 7 July, but were deemed by the NIH’s stem cell working group to meet the ethical spirit of the rules. A 28th line was also considered for approval, but was turned down because the consent was signed during a gap in the Harvard Institutional Review Board process.

There’s a catch with today’s announcement, however. The committee recommended that the additional stem cell lines be restricted to projects that are consistent with the wording of the informed consent form, which stipulated that the embryos be used to “study embryonic development of endoderm with a focus on pancreatic formation.”

Collins said he will now ponder the advice given before making a final pronouncement on the cell lines. He faces a tricky decision that is likely to surface again with other cell lines — whether submitted lines that were initially approved for specific research projects should be allowed for broader use.

Image: NIH