Fetal tissue research gains in importance as roadblocks multiply Olivia Goldhill By Olivia Goldhill March 20, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/20/fetal-tissue-research-scientists-roadblocks/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=298983789&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--PhSKgzKGn9XprsabNpoa-bjo84d8-Y20rKu3jCUovOz-SwqfE8Fr38S_GTgtj0jglrze0dV3XyvhsP12rS_0qQzTRcA&utm_content=298983789&utm_source=hs_email Some pursuits of biomedical science can’t proceed without studying fetal tissue, which can help scientists learn about stem cells and understand cancer biology and brain development. But several scientists say fetal tissue research is increasingly untenable in the U.S. with the possible return of former president Donald Trump to office. His previous administration set up roadblocks that President Biden overturned, but federal funding of studies relying on fetal tissue has not fully rebounded. “The U.S. is falling behind,” Dan Doherty, a pediatrics professor at the University of Washington, told STAT’s Olivia Goldhill. In one example, fetal tissue has gained importance thanks to advances leading to the creation of sophisticated human organoids — organ-like blobs of tissue grown in labs — to study the emergence of diseases and potential treatments. Fetal tissue is needed to validate results. Read more.