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I sent the following comment to NIH (slightly revised from Amy Rick): Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise for millions of Americans suffering from many diseases and disorders. As an individual who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, I have been following progress in this field with great interest. Significant strides have been made over the past decade, and the final guidelines issued by NIH must build on this progress so that cures and new therapies can get to patients as quickly as possible. The final guidelines should not create new bureaucratic hurdles that will slow the pace of progress. I am pleased that these draft guidelines -- in Section II.B -- appear to permit federal funding of stem cell lines previously not eligible for federal funding and for new lines created in the future from surplus embryos at fertility clinics. However, as drafted, Section II.B does not ensure that any current stem cell line will meet the criteria outlined and thus be eligible for federal funding. In particular, Section II.B(5) appears to create a cumbersome and duplicative consent process to establish the eligibility of a specific donation of human embryonic stem cells for use in research. It will be important for the final guidelines to allow federal funds for research using all stem cell lines created by following ethical practices at the time they were derived. This will ensure that the final guidelines build on progress that has already been made. I also believe that the final guidelines should permit federal funding for stem cell lines derived from sources other than excess IVF embryos, such as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Sections II B and IV of the draft guidelines do not permit such federal funding. Therefore, I recommend that the final guidelines provide federal funding using stem cell lines derived in other ways. If not, it is essential that the NIH continue to monitor developments in this exciting research area and to update these guidelines as the research progresses. Finally, I urge you to reject those public comments that give greater weight to the potential of an embryo to develop into an adult human than to the needs of an existing adult human for access to needed cures for an existing disease. Such comments are anti-science in their essence, and degrade the value of every living person. Wilson DeCamp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn