Atlanta, GA | Posted: July 12, 2009
The race to craft stem cells that have the virtues, but not the notoriety, of their embryonic brethren faces its final hurdle: becoming safe enough to help patients. Researchers have unveiled a flurry of advances in recent months in the development of "induced pluripotent" stem cells. "Stem cell research pretty clearly has public support, so this is not a hard choice for Obama," says science policy expert Aaron Levine of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. But, he cautions, "The opponents will continue to be very vocal."