Congress and Varmus in clash over 'illegal' embryo research

Article Abstract:

The US National Institutes of Health's (NIH) director Harold Varmus has been criticized by a congressional subcommittee over the NIH's funding of human embryo research that allegedly contravenes US law. The subcommittee of the House of Representatives Commerce Committee, which supervises management of the NIH, said that the NIH funding received by reproductive biologist Mark Hughes was a lax oversight and showed a lack of sensitivity to the moral and ethical issues involved. Hughes is a specialist in single-cell genetic analysis and has said that the federal ban is not applicable to his work because he does not work directly on embryos.

United States, Science and technology policy

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High-level ethics committee 'needed to guide genetics policy.'

Article Abstract:

The National Advisory Council for Human Genome Research supports the proposed creation of a committee that will contribute to the formulation of the government's genetics policy by examining the ethical, legal and social implications of genome research. The Working Group on the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Human Genome Research will be formed jointly by the Dept. of Energy and the National Institutes of Health. Controversy already surrounds the planned working group, with an evaluation committee claiming that the group's mandate is unclear and too general.

Analysis, Science and state, Science policy, United States. Department of Energy, Genetic research

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NIH stem-cell guidelines face stormy ride

Article Abstract:

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been strongly criticized by those who believe that it is going against legislation that bans federally funded embryo research by drawing up ethical guidelines that scientists would have to adhere to in order to meet congressional criteria for the protection of embryos. The proposed guidelines are based on the requirement that stem cells are only extracted from embryos left over from fertility treatments. Opponents believe that recent research could make it unnecessary to extract stem cells from embryos.

Research, Stem cells

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