pertaining to biomedical research in general. The National Academies are issuing these guidelines for the use of the scientific community, including researchers in university, industry, or other private-sector research organizations.

These guidelines cover all derivation of hES cell lines and all research that uses hES cells derived from

1. blastocysts made for reproductive purposes and later obtained for research from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics,

2. blastocysts made specifically for research using IVF,

3. Somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) into oocytes.

The guidelines do not cover research that uses nonhuman stem cells.

Many, but not all, of the guidelines and concerns addressed in this report are common to other areas of human stem cell research, such as

1. research that uses human adult stem cells,

2. research that uses fetal stem cells or embryonic germ cells derived from fetal tissue; such research is covered by federal statutory restrictions at 42 U.S.C. 289g-2(a) and federal regulations at 45 CFR 46.210.

Institutions and investigators conducting research using such materials should consider which individual provisions of these guidelines are relevant to their research.

These guidelines also do not apply to reproductive uses of nuclear transfer (NT), which are addressed in the 2002 report Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning, in which the National Academies recommended that “Human reproductive cloning should not now be practiced. It is dangerous and likely to fail.” Although these guidelines do not specifically address human reproductive cloning, it continues to be the view of the National Academies that research aimed at the reproductive cloning of a human being should not be conducted at this time.