NIH Approves New Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines

Just in time for Christmas, National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins has approved still more human embryonic stem cell lines (hESC lines) for taxpayer funding. Today’s NIH approval brings the total number of human embryonic stem cell lines at the federal trough to 142.

This approval was not all that surprising. The four new lines, from the University of Queensland, Australia, were recommended for approval by the “Stem Cell Working Group” at the December 9, 2011, meeting of the Director’s Advisory Committee. The Stem Cell Working group had also voted not to approve six lines from China.

The four new hESC lines that have been approved are not for clinical use, however. Subsequent to the meeting and before the latest approvals, NIH also approved two other hESC lines, from Mt. Sinai Hospital in Canada. Those two lines are also restricted:

NIH-funded research with this line may only be conducted at Mount Sinai Hospital and “other Canadian laboratories affiliated with the Canadian Stem Cell Network for further research or potential clinical use.”

These latest approval come a little over two months after Collins’ last approval. The line, “HUES PGD 14,” was created by Harvard University from a female embryo. According to the information provided on the NIH website:

“The embryo from which this hESC line was derived was determined through preimplantation genetic diagnosis to be affected with Spinal Muscular Atrophy.”

This highlights the point made by Dr. James Sherley and Dr. Theresa Deisher in the ongoing Sherley et al. v. Sebelius et al. case that there is a continued demand for more embryo destruction and more hESC lines. As evidenced by the steady growth, the current NIH guidelines continue to provide an incentive for additional human embryo destruction.

That October addition came less than three weeks after Collins had approved three more human embryonic stem cell lines for taxpayer funding. Two of the three new lines from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center appear to have chromosomal abnormalities, as well as to be from the destruction of full siblings (having the same mother and father).

In August Collins approved four hESC lines for the embryonic stem cell registry. They are sold by the company BioTime, Inc., which had two other hESC lines approved on June 2, 2011.

Details of the embryo destruction and hESC derivation (including from siblings)) were published by ESI and Sydney IVF workers in 2007, around the time that ESI abandoned its schemes for therapies based on hESC. BioTime subsequently acquired ESI in 2010.

While NIH continues to waste more taxpayer funds on destructive embryo research, adult stem cells are the only stem cell treating patients, with more and more published evidence accumulating every week.

Published scientific evidence over the last few months shows effectiveness of adult stem cells in helping patients with angina pain, aggressive multiple sclerosis, enlarged hearts, systemic sclerosis, and creating new windpipes, to name just a few examples of adult stem cell successes.

Dr. David Prentice, Senior Fellow for Life Sciences at Family Research Council