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Reuters, UK EU to Adopt Stem Cell Research Rules This Week Mon July 7, 2003 05:49 PM ET BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission will adopt new guidelines this week regulating the use of embryos in EU- funded research in a move aimed at heading off a ban on the controversial technology, an EU spokesman said Monday. Since the start of the year, no European Union funds have been given to scientists involved in creating embryos to carry out stem cell research. "The research moratorium finishes at the end of 2003 and we want to have comprehensive guidelines in place," said European Commission Research spokesman, Fabio Fabbi. The EU executive is expected to adopt the proposal on Wednesday but it needs the approval of member states and the European Parliament to become law. This is expected for the end of the year, Fabbi said. Scientists say the research could yield cures for diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. But opponents argue that the new technology will end in designer babies and reproductive cloning. "The idea is not to encourage the creation of new embryos but the use of ones already existing," Fabbi said. The current EU research budget is worth 17.5 billion euros but only a few million euros are spent on stem cell research, Fabbi said. SOURCE: Reuters, UK http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3050033 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn