Researchers in the U.S. appear all set to challenge President Bush's stand over the issue of embryonic stem-cell research.
Just last month George Bush vetoed an expansion of federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research, saying that U.S. taxpayers who object to such research should not have to pay for it.
Opponents of such research say they object to the destruction of embryos, and their powerful voice has meant that embryonic stem cell research in the United States has almost ground to a halt since 2001.
At that time President Bush placed limits on federal funding and declared that the money could only be used to study stem cell lines derived from embryos that had been already been destroyed before the limit was set.
This resulted in fewer high-quality lines being available than originally thought and though some state and private money has been used to fill the gap in research funding, scientists say more federal money is needed for any credible research to happen.
Now researchers at Advanced Cell Technology, a biotechnology company with facilities in Alameda, California and Worcester, Massachusetts, say they have developed a way to make human embryonic stem cells without harming the original embryo.
They believe their discovery could settle the debate over the ethics of using such cells for research.
Chief scientist Dr. Robert Lanza says they have found it is possible to generate stem cells without destroying the embryo and without destroying its potential for life, and this removes the President's last excuse to oppose the research.
Stem cells are the body's master cells and are available from many sources but most experts believe the most powerful and versatile cells may be those taken from days-old embryos.
Scientists believe by studying these cells, they will discover what compounds enable them to produce any kind of body tissue, and replicate that to create tailored-made treatments for spinal injuries, Alzheimer's and diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Parkinson's.
The scientists used a method already employed in fertility treatments to remove one cell from a human embryo without harming it and then they grew stem cells from that single cell.
They used embryos taken from fertility clinics with the potential to develop normally.