A judge’s ruling has stopped about 35% of the US government’s planned allocation of $200 million in grants for embryonic stem cell research this year. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) had planned to distribute $54 million in annual grants in September, in addition to $15–$20 million for new projects. Under President Obama’s order, the NIH provided $128.8 million for 253 projects from March 2009 to June 2010. The August 23 ruling temporarily stopped US funding for the research, citing the Dickey-Wicker amendment, and stated that the law could not be overruled by a presidential order. The NIH has already distributed $131 million in grants for embryonic stem cell research this year; those funds are unaffected by the ruling, as are funds from charitable foundations and state-run organizations. The state-funded California Institute for Regenerative Medicine allocates $200–$300 million annually for stem cell research, a little more than half of which goes toward projects using embryonic cells. The Justice Department said it will appeal the ruling.

Source: Bloomberg News