46 
Monitoring Stem Cell Research 
Researchers can, in addition, use federal funds for work in- 
volving human embryonic germ cells, obtained from aborted 
fetuses. They can carry out research projects using embryonic 
germ cell lines already derived, following review and approval 
of specific institutional assurances, informed consent docu- 
ments, scientific protocol abstracts, and Institutional Review 
Board approvals by the NIH’s Human Pluripotent Stem Cell 
Review Group (HPSCRG). They can also receive federal funds 
for the derivation and study of new embryonic germ cell lines 
following the same HPSCRG review and approval process. In 
addition, of course, they can develop animal embryonic germ 
cell lines to assess the potential of these cells through animal 
models. 
Also, researchers can receive federal funds for work con- 
ducted on human adult (non-embryonic) stem cells. There are 
no restrictions regarding what U.S. scientists can do with 
regard to adult stem cells using taxpayer funds, other than 
those requiring them to honor the usual human subject protec- 
tions and clinical research requirements (if they are to be 
transplanted into human patients). The NIH has devoted sub- 
stantial resources to the study of human adult stem cells, 
allocating over $170 million to the field in fiscal year 2002, and 
approximately $181.5 million in fiscal year 2003 (approximately 
ten times the amoimt devoted to human embryonic stem cell 
work). 
Finally, researchers remain free to pursue work (including 
the derivation of new lines of embryonic stem cells) in the 
private sector, without government funding. Indeed, as dis- 
cussed above, embryonic stem cells were first isolated and 
developed in the private sector, or in university laboratories 
using private sector funds, and no work in the field was pub- 
licly funded at all until 2001. Under present law, work sup- 
ported by private funds can proceed without restriction. Under 
rules promulgated in the spring of 2002, such work does not 
need to be conducted in a separate laboratory, but a clear 
separation of the funds used to support this work from any 
federally funded work of the laboratory is required. Of course, 
because of the highly interlocking and complex nature of the 
various aspects of operating a laboratory, such separation can 
still prove extremely difficult to manage. It is not clear pre- 
PRE-PUBLICATION VERSION 
