The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it will end the use of human fetal tissue in agency research.
The use of fetal tissue from abortions has declined since 2019. There were only 77 projects with such funding in 2024. “At the same time, advances in organoids, tissue chips, computational biology, and other cutting-edge platforms have created robust alternatives that can drive discovery while reducing ethical concerns,” the agency explained in a press release. “The updated policy ensures that limited public resources are directed toward research approaches that offer the greatest potential to improve health outcomes for all Americans.”
“NIH is pushing American biomedical science into the 21st century,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya. “This decision is about advancing science by investing in breakthrough technologies more capable of modeling human health and disease. Under President Trump’s leadership, taxpayer-funded research must reflect the best science of today and the values of the American people.”
According to a policy notice released by the NIH, organizations may re-budget funds for research.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research believes the use of human fetal tissue is “indispensable in advancing biomedicine and saving millions of lives, and it continues to play an essential role in accelerating research that benefits patients.”
ISSCR President Hideyuki Okano said in a statement that use of fetal tissue has “been a cornerstone of biomedical progress since the 1930s.” Okano added, “We urge NIH to reject political pressure to discontinue research with HFT and instead reaffirm its role as a champion of evidence-based biomedical science.”
