September 7, 2006

scientists react to launch of HFEA consultation on egg donation for fertility research

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has announced it will be seeking public opinion on plans to allow women to donate their eggs in return for fertility treatment.

Dr Stephen Minger, Director of the Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, Kings College London, said:

“I am not opposed to the idea altruist egg donation for fertility research. But I am opposed, at the current time, to donating eggs for therapeutic cloning and also opposed to any scheme that offers financial inducement (such as reduced cost IVF).

“In my opinion it is unethical to use human eggs for therapeutic cloning. We have no idea of the efficiency of this technique and it may take hundreds of eggs to get one stem cell line. It is therefore, unethical to expect women, often young women, to undertake the invasive and potentially risky procedure without there being a clear benefit to medical research. Instead a much more responsible would be to practise the technique using animal eggs (such as cows or pigs) – as my laboratory and Chris Shaw and Ian Wilmut are intending to do. When this has proved successful (when efficiency has been significantly increased) it may be time to consider using human eggs, but only when we have as much information about the technique as possible.”

Professor Alison Murdoch, of the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI), said:

“We are aware of the ethical issues that must be taken into account in all medical research. Our procedures for the donation of eggs for research have been approved by the local research ethics committee and by the HFEA licence committee. We are now applying for funding to allow us to start recruiting donors.”

Professor Ian Wilmut, Director of the Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, said:

“Egg donation could provide opportunities to study human inherited diseases that could not be available in any other way.”