NIH and Exculpation

For those of you not fully informed of the tricky byways of stem cell science, the Boston Globe carried a nuanced editorial today that laid out the significance of an arcane “exculpatory” matter last week

Arcane, that is, to folks who do not fiddle with human embryonic stem cells.

The case involved possible use in federally funded research of embryos donated some years back. The feds said no because they were given under conditions that do not meet today's ethical tests, although the donations met the standards of the day, which actually was only a decade or two ago. The Globe called the NIH action a “major blow.”

You can read all about it here.