The outcry over a federal judge's recent stem-cell ruling continues. National Institutes of Health head Francis Collins, MD, PhD, said yesterday he was "stunned" by the ruling, which blocks researchers from using federal funds to conduct human embryonic stem cell research.
Stanford law professor Hank Greely, JD, called the decision "'bizarre' from a legal standpoint," and Irving Weissman, MD, who directs Stanford's stem cell institute and has already called the decision "profound and disturbing," told the U.K's Independent that the ruling could mean in the long-term a "massive halt to most embryonic stem cell research in the US." His colleague Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, agrees, telling USA Today, "We've basically emptied out our toolbox for human developmental studies."
The Obama administration said yesterday it plans to appeal the ruling.
Previously: Stanford stem cell expert weighs in on district court ruling
