A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that tried to block funding of stem-cell research on human embryos, reports CNN and NewScientist.com.
A federal appeals court in April lifted a previous injunction on continued funding, and U.S. District Chief Judge Royce Lamberth has now agreed with the Obama administration that the lawsuit brought by two scientists should be dismissed.
The 38-page decision is a victory for supporters of federally funded testing for a range of diseases and illnesses.
Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan’s Center for Stem Cell Biology, applauded the decision in a statement:
"Much more work needs to be done to determine which kinds of stem cells will lead to future scientific and medical advances," said Morrison. "This ruling also allows the NIH to continue funding research based on scientific merit rather than having courts influence the distribution of funds among scientific disciplines."
