Obama lifts stem cell research restrictions
Barack Obama has lifted restrictions on funding for stem cell research in the US.
The president signed an executive order to authorise the move just before noon on Monday.
Former president George Bush banned the use of any government money to fund research on human embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9th 2001.
The restrictions have meant scientists have only been able to use taxpayers' money to work on some of the oldest embryonic stem cells available.
In response to the lifting of the ban scientists are now expected to collaborate together to share facilities and resources.
Douglas Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, said he planned to begin collaborations with publicly funded scientists as soon as possible.
'This will be an enormous relief because of the enormous constraints under which we've operated,' he said.
'The removal of a barrier that has stood in our way for eight years will open important new areas of research and move the field forward more rapidly.
'What I very much hope is that researchers who have been unable to study these cells will now be excited by the fact they are accessible and can be used in labs all over the US.'
Mr Obama pledged to reverse the Bush policy early in his presidency during his campaign for the White House.
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