Embryologists dismayed by sanctions against geneticist.

Abstract

News that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has cut off funding for Mark Hughes, a geneticist who pioneered a technique for screening for mutations in the DNA of a single cell, has dismayed Hughes's colleagues. NIH says Hughes used federal funds to conduct tests on eight-cell human embryos, in contravention of a congressional ban on such activities. Hughes's colleagues say the incident will drive more embryology research into private clinics, where it is unregulated.