AS THE full implications of the shock court ruling that has frozen US government support for work on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) sink in, researchers want to know if Congress can provide a fix.
If the ruling stands, all projects relying on federal funding will be shut down within 12 months, as their grants come up for renewal. The government will appeal, but Congress could amend the law on which the ruling depends. Called the Dickey-Wicker amendment, it blocks federal funding for research that harms a human embryo.
Congress could stipulate that Dickey-Wicker should not preclude research on hESCs,…
