SINGAPORE, November 5, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Harvard University scientist has created 17 new stem cell lines from “surplus” embryos from fertility clinics, and says he will make them available to researchers next year. The scientist, Douglas Melton, felt compelled emotionally to proceed by his own children’s diabetes, which he hopes can be cured using the new lines. The New York-based Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute funded the process, given legislation that limits federally funded work on stem cells to a small number of cell lines that were created before April 9, 2001. “We made them for our use and to share with the research community,” Melton said on the sidelines of Singapore’s inaugural International Stem Cell Conference. “I am hoping that by providing more stem cell lines without restrictions we will encourage more research in the stem cell field.” For newswire coverage: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,61024,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_6