"The NIH has developed a sound, ambitious strategy to advance pluripotent stem cell research and generate more opportunities in this critical area," Secretary Leavitt said. "I sincerely hope that these steps will accelerate the discovery of new cures and treatments."

Stem cells have been recognized for years as a tool for advancing knowledge about cell specialization and its great potential to be medically valuable. At the most basic level, stem cells will also help us understand the most fundamental processes in human biology and teach us how cells program and re-program themselves. Recently, technical innovation in stem cell derivation and proliferation suggests that there may be new avenues for scientific progress.

"NIH has been pursuing the potential of stem cells on all fronts, whether they are human embryonic, adult, or cord blood — since they were discovered. It is one of the central scientific challenges of our time," said Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH Director. "NIH will continue to consult widely with the scientific community to determine the best approaches."

The NIH plan includes a number of new or accelerated activities. For example, the NIH Stem Cell Task Force will develop several funding opportunity announcements, including a Program Announcement (PA). The PA will ask for grant applications proposing research on human pluripotent stem cells derived from non-embryonic sources, such as somatic cells or cells found in amniotic fluid. In addition, the Stem Cell Task Force will create two supplement programs that will stimulate research in specific areas rapidly. They would be awarded to researchers already working in stem cell research to augment certain areas of their work that are of particular interest to NIH. All research proposals will be subject to the standard peer review process.

The plan also calls for aggressively pursuing an assessment of the potential of alternative sources of pluripotent stem cell lines, including altered nuclear transfer; single cell embryo biopsy, and reprogramming, or dedifferentiation of somatic cells, such as skin cells. While these methods have been proposed, questions remain as to their feasibility. To address this issue, the NIH will undertake a comprehensive research portfolio review to determine what research NIH is currently supporting in this area and convene a state-of-the-science workshop to identify the key questions. Some of the alternative methods may raise questions under applicable law. In such cases, NIH must carefully consider whether it may fund such research.

NIH will also hold a symposium that will explore what avenues of stem cell research eligible for funding under federal law and policy offer the greatest potential for clinical benefit.

Under the plan, NIH will rename its Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry as the "Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry" and will consider the addition of new human pluripotent stem cell lines to the registry that are deemed eligible.

The implementation plan for Executive Order #13435 is available on the NIH website at http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/091907eo.

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers. This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.