European Commission proposes rules for EU funding of embryonic stem-cell research 17/7/03. By the Public Health Genetics Unit Proposal that research be allowed on embryonic stem-cells derived from embryos 'left over' after IVF treatment.

Research on embryonic stem cells has always been controversial in the EU, with some countries implacably opposed to all such research while others, including the UK, would like to permit research as long as appropriate regulation is in place.

EU countries cannot simply 'agree to differ' on this matter because the question of whether EU funding under the 6th Framework Programme (FP6) can be allocated for embryonic stem-cell research needs to be resolved. At the time when FP6 was adopted, the Council of Ministers and the European Commission agreed that an ethical framework for this issue would be put in place by the end of 2003.

The Commission has now published its proposal for this framework. In line with recommendations from the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, the Commission proposes that research should be allowed on embryonic stem cells derived from embryos 'left over' after IVF treatment. Such embryos would otherwise be destroyed. Spare embryos may be used provided they are donated freely, that the privacy of donors is respected, and that all proposed research projects undergo ethical scrutiny.

In order to prevent the creation of excess embryos with future research use in mind, the proposal states that FP6 funding would only be available for deriving embryonic stem cells from embryos already in existence on 27 June 2002, the date FP6 was adopted. The Commission wants a European registry of stem-cell banks to be established in order to help promote optimal use of stem-cell resources.

The Commission's proposals will be considered by the Council of Ministers with the aim of having an agreed ethical framework in place before the end of this year.

Article courtesy of the Public Health Genetics Unit .

Image credit: Yorgos Nikas