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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2002;288:1708.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The British government is launching the world's first embryonic stem cell bank, which will collect, manage, and supply "ethically approved," quality-controlled existing and new stem cell lines derived from human embryos, as well as adult and fetal stem cell lines. The bank will be set up by the United Kingdom National Institute for Biological Standards and Control at a facility near London, with £2.6 million (about $4 million) over 3 years from the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Biological Sciences Research Council.

A steering committee will develop a code of practice for the bank and use of stem cell lines and oversee the bank's activities, including regulating the use of embryonic stem cell lines.

"Stem cell research holds real promise for the treatment of many life-threatening diseases and conditions and the bank will allow researchers to explore this enormous potential in a controlled environment," said Sir . . . [Full Text of this Article]