Work in creating human embryonic stem cells from cloned embryos continues apace, and some of the most interesting stuff regulatory-wise is going on in Europe. (Apologies, many of these links will require a subscription)

First, the scientist to publish a reliable paper on human therapeutic cloning, Miodrag Stojkovic, has gotten a license to try to make stem cells from cloned human embryos in Spain. In the UK, efforts are already underway by Stojkovic’s former colleague and rival, Alison Murdoch. She is collaborating with Oregon scientist Shoukhrat Mitalipov, who was the first to create primate embryonic stem cells using cloned monkey embryos.

Meanwhile, the German Research Foundation has formally announced its skepticism of this technique and is advocating more efforts toward reprogramming human cells.

To help keep things sorted, the European Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry (sponsored by the European Commission) will supply researchers with information about human embryonic stem-cell lines developed in Europe, including information about use and derivation. The goal is to help researchers make better use of lines already developed.