An explosion that blew out a number of windows at a Boston-area laboratory specializing in stem-cell research was caused by a pipe bomb, local police said Friday.
No one was wounded in Thursday’s early morning blast at Watertown, Massachusetts-based Amaranth Bio, which says on its Web site its technology is focused on organ regeneration and that it is working on cures for diabetes and liver disorders.
In a statement, Watertown police confirmed the explosion was the result of a pipe bomb and said they believe someone broke into the facility. No arrests have been made, police said.
Local radio station WBZ reported that police had identified a “person of interest” in connection with the explosion. Watertown police were not immediately available for comment on the report.
In addition to local police, the explosion was being investigated by state police and fire officials as well as the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
An Amaranth Bio official did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
Stem-cell research has become the subject of nationwide debate ahead of the U.S. presidential election in November. President Bush has banned federal funding for research on new embryonic stem-cell lines but Democratic candidate John Kerry has said he would rescind the ban.