The European Union has approved funding for human embryonic stem-cell research one week after U.S. President George Bush vetoed such a measure. David Sainsbury, Britain's Science minister, said the action gives Europe an opportunity to surpass the United States in such research, the Financial Times reported.
"Symbolically it is very significant," he said. "In Europe we are moving forward on this front, whereas America has taken, as far as the federal government is concerned, a very negative position."
He said the EU action might prompt some U.S. scientists to move to European countries to pursue cures for such diseases as diabetes, Parkinson's, and heart failure.
The agreement will allow scientists in nations where such research is legal to apply for EU funding, the Financial Times said.
Although scientists will be unable to use the EU's money to extract stem cells from human embryos, they will be able to work on new embryonic cells from national and other sources.
In contrast, U.S. federal funding is restricted to stem cells that existed only before August 2001. Private and state-level funding is not affected by Bush's veto.
Source: United Press International
