The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) applauds the decision of Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (DC) to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the U.S. National Institutes of Health guidelines on funding human embryonic stem cell research (hESC).

Judge Lamberth agreed with the appeals court's finding that NIH can interpret the Dickey-Wicker amendment to allow federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells, but not on their derivation. He notes that the legislation's definition of "research" is ambiguous. The judge also dismissed the plaintiffs' claims that NIH failed to respond to relevant and significant public comments. The plaintiffs have 60 days in which to file for appeal to the DC Circuit Court.

The ASCB has been deeply involved in advocating for federal funding for hESC research, free of political or ideological restrictions, for over a decade. The ASCB will continue to do so as long as this promising research is called into question.

Source:
John Fleischman
American Society for Cell Biology