Univ. of Mich. accepting stem cell embryos

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 9 (UPI) -- University of Michigan researchers say they will begin accepting donated human embryos to create embryonic stem cell lines.

Eva Feldman, a UM researcher and neurologist, said the long-awaited move comes after state restrictions on stem cell research were lifted last year when Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment, The Detroit News reported.

"This is the beginning of a new era," Feldman told the newspaper, noting that Detroit was selected as the site for the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has okayed the first clinical trial of stem cells involving humans with Lou Gehrig's disease at UM.

Gary Smith, co-director of the UM Consortium for Stem Therapies, said the university needed time after the November 2008 vote to develop the proper processes, which had to be approved by university committees, before the work could begin.

"We wanted to do it right," he told the newspaper, adding that Michigan has joined a group of other U.S. universities in creating new stem cell lines.