The Niche
Submit your stem cells
By Elie Dolgin, cross-posted from the Great Beyond The National Institutes of Health started accepting applications today to evaluate which human embryonic stem cells will be eligible for federal dollars. A panel of nine scientists, lawyers and ethicists — led by Jeffrey Botkin of the University of Utah — will scrutinize submissions to ensure that they meet the new requirements for informed consent from embryo donors. The working group’s “expertise and sound judgment will help NIH move forward in this important effort,” NIH director Francis Collins, who will have the final say on the eligibility of particular lines, said in