Embryonic Stem Cells Needed, Still Should Be Regulated, Panel Says

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 10 Sep 2008 - 8:00 PDT

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The use of human embryos for stem cell research still is necessary despite some research that indicates ways of creating stem cells -- called induced pluripotent stem cells -- without using embryos, the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee said in a new report, Reuters reports. The panel -- appointed by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council -- issued the report Friday as a revision to its 2005 report. The panel also revised guidelines on reimbursement for women who donate eggs for stem cell research, saying that compensating women for lost wages and transportation costs does not have to be considered payment or inducement.

According to the report, research involving embryonic stem cells "remains controversial" in the U.S. and is "still subject to intense political scrutiny" (Reuters, 9/5). Federal funding for embryonic stem cell research is allowed only for research using embryonic stem cell lines created on or before Aug. 9, 2001, under a policy announced by President Bush on that date. Bush twice has vetoed bills that would have allowed federal funding for research using stem cells derived from human embryos originally created for fertility treatments and willingly donated by patients (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 5/8).

According to the committee's report, it is "far from clear" which type of stem cells will be most useful for regenerative medicine, and it is "likely that each will have some utility." It is "important to sustain public confidence in the integrity of the institutions and researchers conducting human embryonic stem cell research," the panel -- chaired by Richard Hynes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- wrote. The report recommends that an institutional registry of stem cell lines be maintained.

The report also suggested that the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in animals should be monitored. In addition, if a human cell is spliced into an animal in such a way that it could transmit human DNA to offspring, the animal should not be allowed to breed, according to the report (Reuters, 9/5).

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