Don't Ban Embryo-Based Research Says New Chairman of European Fertility Organisation

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

EurekAlert
Public release date: 30-Jun-2003

Contact: Margaret Willson
m.willson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
44-0-1536-772181
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology

Don't ban embryo-based research says new chairman of European fertility 
organisation

Madrid, Spain: The incoming chairman of an organisation representing over 4,000 
international fertility experts has
urged the EU not to go down the road of attempting to ban research on embryonic 
stem cells.

Professor Arne Sunde, who takes over tomorrow as chairman of the European 
Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology,
told a news briefing today (Monday 30 June) at the society's annual conference, 
that a ban would severely impede
progress in understanding the causes of human infertility and damage prospects 
of new treatments for serious diseases
such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The stem cell controversy has become caught up in proposals by EU Commissioners 
for an EU-wide directive outlining
quality and safety standards for tissue donation testing and distribution. The 
European Parliament's environment and
public health committee, and subsequently European MPs, amended the proposed 
directive to include a ban on research
designed to create human embryos solely for research purposes or to supply stem 
cells, including stem cells produced by
somatic cell transfer (therapeutic cloning). On 2 June, the Council and the 
majority of ministers disagreed with calls
for prohibition to be included in the directive and agreed that member states 
will be free to maintain, or introduce,
their own more stringent measures if they wish. However, opposition from some 
countries' delegations to embryo-derived
stem cells means that there will almost certainly be moves to reinstate the ban 
at the second reading in Parliament.

Professor Sunde, a cell biologist and laboratory director for the IVF Unit at 
University Hospital of Trondheim in
Norway, said: "Research into non-embryo-based stem cell sources is progressing. 
Indeed, only today there is a paper
published in ESHRE's journal Human Reproduction by Professor Markus 
Hengstschläger's team[1] from the University of
Vienna, providing evidence that it may be possible to derive pluripotent cells 
from amniotic fluid. In the future,
these types of cells and others isolated from adult tissues, may become an 
important, possibly even the main source for
research and treatment, but there is likely always to be a need to use 
embryo-isolated stems for specific projects."

He said it was still early days and the clinical potential of human embryonic 
stem cells and transdifferentiated adult
stem cell was as yet unknown.

"It's not an either/or situation. Most scientists working with stem cells, 
whether embryonic or adult, agree that in
order to find clinically viable treatments research must continue on both 
types. Judging from animal experiments, both
cell sources may in the future prove useful. There have been spectacular 
results using embryonic stem cells in animal
models of diseases such as Parkinson's and incurable brain tumours."

Professor Sunde said that experiments with human embryonic stem cells would 
also provide information about the chemical
signals that the human body uses to induce stem cells to differentiate into 
'local' stem cells. That information would
be very useful for attempts to transdifferentiate adult stem cells in vitro.

"Even in a future scenario, where the clinical use of human stem cells is based 
only on non-embryonic cells, the
development of the methods for such use will be facilitated by data from 
research done on human embryonic stem cells,"
he said.

He concluded: "ESHRE does understand that the issue of embryonic stem cells is 
a sensitive one. No one is more aware of
that than our members who work with embryos every day. But, my message to those 
members of the European Parliament who
would wish to make embryonic stem cell research illegal, is to talk to the 
scientific and medical community and to
consider very carefully the effect that a ban would have on research and on 
society's hopes of finding new treatments
for some of the most serious and distressing diseases afflicting mankind."

The conference will hear that couples benefiting from assisted reproduction 
appear to back the use of spare embryos for
research.

In Spain, where embryo donation is currently the only legal option for spare 
viable embryos, 155 questionnaires seeking
views on a range of options were completed by couples who currently had embryos 
frozen. Over 72% would accept their
spare embryos being used for research and 54% would agree to destruction if 
they succeeded in their objective of
achieving a pregnancy. Dr Montserrat Boada from Institut Universitari Dexeus of 
Barcelona said that donation for
research was the preferred option for couples if the embryos were not included 
in a parental plan. Many couples chose
research and/or destruction over the legal option. "We need a review on current 
regulations to solve the increasing
number of stored embryos in Spain," she said.

###

Abstract no: O-197 (Tuesday 17.15hrs CET, Londres room)

In Denmark two years is the maximum legal time that embryos can be stored. 
Embryo research for infertility purposes is
legal; using embryos for stem cell research or stem cell treatment is banned, 
although there are legislative
initiatives to change the law. A study of infertile couples showed that more 
than half would agree to donate for
research whereas less than a third would agree to donate to other infertile 
couples. Dr Susanne Bangsboell of the
University of Copenhagen analysed the results of a questionnaire answered by 
216 couples who had frozen stored embryos
disposed of according to present regulations. The majority of infertile 
patients accepted embryo donation for stem cell
research, indicating that legislation was the main limiting factor.

Abstract no: O-196 (Tuesday 17.00hrs CET, Londres room)

[1] Oct-4-expressing cells in human amniotic fluid: a new source for stem cell 
research? Human Reproduction. Vol. 18.
No 7. Pp 1489-1493. [Press release & research paper available from press office]

Further information:
Emma Mason, information officer
Tel: 44-0-1376-563090
Fax: 44-0-1376-563272
Mobile: 44-0-7711-296986
Email: wordmason@xxxxxxx

Press Office: (Sunday 29 June -Wednesday 2 July)
Margaret Willson, Emma Mason, Maria Maneiro, Janet Blümli
Tel: 34-917-220-501 or 34-917-220-502
Fax: 34-917-220-503

SOURCE: EurekAlert


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