U.S. stem cell proposals forbid funds for cloning

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New stem cell guidelines released on Friday by the U.S. National Institutes of Health would limit federal funding of the research to embryos left over at fertility clinics and prohibit federal funding of embryos made by cloning or certain other methods.

The guidelines, posted online here, are open for public comment and will be made final in July.

They include strict rules on making sure that people who donate unused embryos for research know what they are doing, and why, and are not coerced or paid in any way.

They reverse long-standing limits placed on funding the research by former president George W. Bush, which scientists had said restricted potentially lifesaving medical research.

"We are likely to increase greatly the number of human embryonic stem cells available for federal funding," acting NIH director Dr. Raynard Kington told a telephone briefing.

"This is a remarkable development that promises to speed the research that one day may fundamentally change the way we do (medical) research," he added.

Kington made it clear that NIH researchers strongly backed President Barack Obama's decision last month to rescind the restrictions.

"This is a new day in many ways. We are grateful for the presidential executive order," Kington said.