Scientists in the United States, supported by private funds, are circumventing the so called “presidential” stem lines approved by President Bush in August 2001 for publicly funded research and are managing to conduct further stem cell research.

Currently, federal funding for stem cell research in the US is possible only on the 22 lines in existence before 9 August 2001. The US House of Representatives recently passed a bill to increase government funding for research on human embryos, and a Gallup poll in early May showed that 60% of Americans said medical research involving stem cells was morally acceptable. However, President Bush has said he would veto the bill (BMJ 2005;330:1285), because of his Christian belief that embryos were “emerging human life.”

The 22 stem cell lines are all thought to be unsuitable for human treatment, because they were grown on mouse …