Stem-cell fiasco must be stopped

December 16, 2013

Just when Pani and others in Italy were breathing a sigh of relief, an Italian court has thrown an unexpected spanner into the works. The court ruled last week that an expert committee behind a detailed report that demolished the scientific basis for the clinical trial of the claimed treatment was unlawfully biased. The judgement undermines the October decision made by health minister Beatrice Lorenzin to cancel the trial, which could yet be allowed to proceed. (Nature)