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The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill is intended to bring legislation into line with scientific developments in recent years on the use of stem cells from human, and human-animal hybrid, embryos in medical research, as well as other areas including so-called ‘saviour siblings’ and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.
Dr Kieran Breen, Director of Research and Development at the Parkinson’s Disease Society, said:
“Stem cell therapy offers great hope for people with Parkinson’s. It may ultimately offer a cure, allowing people to lead a life that is free from the devastating symptoms of Parkinson’s.
The aim of stem cell therapy in Parkinson’s disease is to replace the dead dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain with new, healthy cells. This will restore the supply of dopamine and allow the brain to work normally again. We welcome important developments in recent weeks using both adult stem cells and cells derived from embryos. However it is vitally important that scientists are allowed to continue to pursue all stem cell research avenues, (adult cells, embryonic stem cells and human-animal hybrid cells) to ensure that no stone is left unturned in the quest for a cure.”
Dr Lyle Armstrong, Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University who is licensed to work on hybrid embryos, said:
“By studying admixed embryos we are aiming to gain better understanding of disease processes without having to use precious human eggs. Cells grown using animal eggs cannot – and will not under the new Bill – be used to treat patients but they will help bring nearer the day when new stem cell therapies are available for debilitating human conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease and strokes.”
Sir David Read, Vice President of the Royal Society, said:
“The extensive journey of the HFE Bill has illustrated the complex nature of stem cell research, its potential and the public support for techniques which may help understand and possibly treat diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The Bill strikes an important balance — providing strict regulation of current research and crucially the capacity to explore new avenues of research responsibly. This Bill will enable stem cell research in the UK to develop to its full potential and maintain the UK’s position as a world leader.”
Karen Addington, Chief Executive of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), said:
“The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill offers a real opportunity for scientists to break down the barriers to research caused by a lack of available stem cells. The UK’s reputation for being at the forefront of scientific research will be enhanced by this new legislation, which maintains the policy of having guidance in place to strictly regulate research. MPs should realise that this Bill offers hope, not just to the 350,000 people with type 1 diabetes in the UK, but to all those living with serious and debilitating conditions. By supporting the passage of the Bill through Parliament, MPs will be helping JDRF and other charities take the necessary steps towards finding the cure.”
Dr Kirstine Knox, Chief Executive of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, said:
“We believe that stem cells derived from human-admixed embryos would offer researchers the opportunity to create diseased motor neurones that display the characteristics of MND. This would then allow us to really develop our understanding of MND and should ultimately lead to more effective treatments.”
Professor Sir John Bell, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:
“The Academy wholeheartedly supports provisions in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill that allow the creation of human admixed embryos. Research in this area will improve our understanding of human embryonic stem cells and could ultimately generate better treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease.
If this research is prohibited UK scientists will no longer be able to work at the cutting edge of stem cell research. The UK will lose its competitive advantage and the development of treatments for debilitating diseases will be significantly curtailed.”
Professor Colin Blakemore, former Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, said:
“The research community would want to emphasize that work on embryonic stem cells is not purely aimed at developing therapies. The study of embryonic stem cells has already greatly increased our understanding of the ways in which different tissue types are derived and might be repaired.
The knowledge of the characteristics of genetic expression that provide the pluripotentency of embryonic stem cells has enabled the development of techniques for the production of ‘induced pluripotent stem cells’ (IPS cells) by genetic modification of normal adult cells. This technique is exciting and might eventually offer a route to the production of cells for therapy that are functionally equivalent to embryonic stem cells.
However, there is wide agreement that further work on embryonic cells (including from “admixed” human embryos) will be needed to validate and improve the IPS technique, which, at present involves viral infection and genetic modification, with unknown potential hazards.”
Philip Butcher, Chief Executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said:
“The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has been a major funder of groundbreaking research for almost 50 years – muscular dystrophy and allied conditions are devastating and life-limiting diseases. It is vital that progress in this area is maintained and not held up as there is potential for research to start to move from the laboratory bench to the patient’s bedside.
Families living with neuromuscular conditions cannot afford to wait for another three years for such legislation to be introduced to allow therapies to be developed and brought forward.”
Dr Marita Pohlschmidt, Director of Research at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said:
“The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign doesn’t currently fund any research that uses hybrid embryos. However, we fully support the section of the HFE Bill that covers the use of such embryos in research. The genetic material of the Hybrid embryo includes less than 0.1 per cent animal origin; they will never be implanted in women or animals and will be destroyed after 14 days under the existing tight regulatory guidelines. The hybrid embryo may offer real opportunity to scientists trying to find treatments and cures for muscle disease and that is of paramount to individuals and families affected.”
Dr Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, said:
“It is crucial that we don’t close down avenues of medical research that could lead to improvements in the lives of many thousands of people.
Embryonic stem cells offer potential for treating serious diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and muscular dystrophy and it is important that we are able to study them using a variety of approaches, including mixing human and animal material. This legislation will provide the regulatory framework to enable scientists to pursue such work in a responsible way.”
Dr Sophie Petit-Zeman, Head of External Relations at the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), said:
“As MPs prepare to vote, the research provisions in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill have strong public support, as well as that of medical research charities and patient groups. While we fully respect the complex ethical and religious issues which have been raised over recent months, allowing the creation of human admixed embryos may be a key step in understanding and treating devastating disease. The Bill will help to ensure that such work can progress under the tight regulations which patients, scientists and the wider public are right to expect.”
Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council, said:
“The HFE Bill strikes the right balance between accelerating opportunities for understanding and treating a wide range of diseases, from Parkinson’s to diabetes, and restating the appropriate boundaries that exist today. These boundaries reflect not only prevailing social views, but also the framework within which our scientists feel comfortable working. This area of research is the most closely regulated. The law must now address the new possibilities science has raised and bring them unequivocally into its remit.”