The National Institutes of Health today announced 13 new government-approved embryonic stem cell lines that scientists can get NIH funding to work with. The newly approved lines–11 of which were developed right here at Children’s–were derived from embryos donated by couples undergoing in-vitro fertilization, and all meet the NIH’s strict ethical standards requiring informed consent from donor couples.
With more lines available, and additional approvals expected to come soon, the pace of stem cell research is expected to pick up — and with it, a better understanding of human diseases and better therapies for treating them.
Read researcher Willy Lensch’s first-person post about what this means to the field of stem cell research – and to him personally.
