Guidelines on public funding of human stem cell research in the US

Guidelines on public funding for research involving human embryonic stem cells were first drafted under the Clinton administration in August 2000. 

Under former president George W. Bush, federal funding of research involving human embryonic stem cells was restricted to projects using stem cell lines that had been established before August 2001. Furthermore, funding was limited to research on stem cell lines which were derived from "surplus" embryos originally created solely for reproduction purposes and used with informed consent of the donors.

In 2009, these restrictions have been partly overruled by then president Barack Obama. The central modification implemented by the National Institutes of Health Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research from 7 July, 2009, consists in the eligibility for public funding of scientists conducting research on newer stem cell lines.

In 2019, public funding for embryonic stem cell research was restricted under President Donald Trump by prohibiting scientists that were employed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from doing research on human fetal tissue derived from voluntary abortions. In addition, an ethics advisory board (The Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board) was introduced into the NIH approval process for research funding, to be staffed by the US Department of Health and Human Services, which evaluated applications separately. The advisory board stopped its work in September 2020. Furthermore, the restrictions on public funding of stem cell research that were put in place under the presidency of Donald Trump were lifted in 2021 under the presidency of Joe Biden. The other requirements for research projects on embryonic stem cells and their funding remain in place.

Barack Obama: “Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells” (Executive Order 13505), 9 March, 2009. Online Version

National Institutes of Health Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research, 7 July, 2009.  Online Version

On the restrictions enacted under the presidency of Donald Trump and their removal under the presidency of Joe Biden, see among others:

National Institutes of Health (2021): Update on Changes to NIH Requirements Regarding Proposed Human Fetal Tissue Research. (16 April 2021) Online Version

Mandavilli, A. (2021): Biden Administration Ends Limits on Use of Fetal Tissue for Research. In: The New York Times (17 April 2021) Online Version

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