Australia Oversees Cloning-based Stem Cell Research
Last week, an Australia regulatory agency issued its first license for cloning-based stem cell research. I continue to doubt the need for continuing this speculative line of research that has yielded so little and costs so much, particularly with respect to its need for large quantities of women's eggs. That aside, the details of the licensing process are reassuring, particularly relative to the US, where the oversight remains remarkably inadequate.
Researchers at Sydney IVF had to demonstrate to an accountable, external body - the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) - that their protocol complied with national research and ethical standards. This is in addition to obtaining approval from an institutionally-affiliated review board, which is all that is recommended in the US.
The NHMRC employs inspectors to ensure that research is carried out in a manner complying with the standards. In fact, the scientists must report the source and fate of each egg and embryo used.
The NHMRC posts the licenses on its website.
In this case, the clinic's three licenses - each for a different source of DNA in the cloning process - permit the use of 2400 eggs per method, for a total of 7200 eggs. But any of the protocols must cease if two-thirds of its egg allotment (i.e. 1600 eggs) are used, or if 160 clonal blastocysts are created, and no stem cell line has been yet derived.
And in this case, Sydney IVF is authorized to use only eggs that have failed to properly fertilize. Coupled with Australia's prohibition on paying for eggs, this means that women won't be recruited to specifically provide eggs for research.
Reproductive cloning is prohibited in Australia.
Still, the stem cell work is being done by the staff of the IVF clinic. This leaves the possibility for professional conflict of interest among the staff who perform the egg extraction. If they, or their employer, hope to receive credit for the successful derivation of a stem cell line, they may be tempted to increase the hormone dosage. While this will produce more eggs for their research, it will also increase the likelihood and severity of side effects to the women providing eggs.
Previously on Biopolitical Times: