Hinxton Group calls for international ethical standards in stem cell research 27/2/06. By the Public Health Genetics Unit A group of about 60 leading international scientists, journal editors, regulators and bioethicists has published a consensus statement calling for an international set of ethical standards in stem cell research.

The statement came out of a three-day meeting held recently in Hinxton, Cambridgeshire. Organisers had planned the meeting before the news of the fabrication of stem cell data by Korean researchers . However, in light of those events, meeting participants had many timely issues to discuss.

The consensus statement affirms the participants' belief that stem cell and related research holds out the promise of new treatments for serious disease and injuries. However, they acknowledged that there is a diversity of opinion on some its elements.

Across the world, countries, and states within countries, have instituted a variety of different policies, regulations and laws to govern stem cell research. There is often conflict between these different systems of governance that, according to the statement, hinders international collaborative efforts. Therefore the participants have recommended some principles that should govern the ethical and legal regulation and oversight of stem cell and related research.

For example, laws and regulations governing the science should be flexible so as to accommodate scientific advancements; as well as clear enough to enable researchers to understand what is and is not permitted so that they can conduct their work accordingly. Also, journal editors should encourage authors to clarify their roles in published research so that the appropriateness of their participation can be determined. This is especially important if researchers from countries with restrictive laws collaborate with those in countries with more permissive laws.

The meeting participants plan to continue their work as the Hinxton Group, a consortium that will examine the ethics and law related to stem cell research. Some of their forward strategies from the consensus statement include: encouraging scientists to submit embryonic stem cell lines to a national or international depository to facilitate replication and collaboration as well as to protect precious resources, encouraging journal editors to continue and enhance their efforts for high standards in scientific peer review and ethical integrity in stem cell science, and suggesting that those donating 'human materials' be considered human research subjects so that they will be covered by systems of oversight by funding bodies and ethics review boards. In addition, the Group plans to launch a public website, hosted by the Phoebe R. Berman Bioethics Institute , one of the meeting's hosts, where international researchers can share information about research codes of practice and ethical protocols.

Article courtesy of the Public Health Genetics Unit .

Further reading

The Hinxton Group: An International Consortium on Stem Cells, Ethics and Law. Consensus statement