September 21, 2007...8:08 am
Eggs for Research: UK vs. US
Its clear that more embryonic stem cell lines are needed. Donated frozen embryos can be used to make new embryonic stem cell lines, and so can donated eggs. But eggs donated solely for research purposes is a subject of some controversy.
The StemCellBlog just returned from the United Kingdom. While there, we learned about the differences in national stem cell policy. Here are a few major separations between the US and the UK, starting with egg donation.
US
Guidelines (National Academy of Sciences) and laws (states like California) say women who provide eggs for embryonic stem cell research should not be paid for them. Reasonable reimbursement of expenses and medial care related to the egg retrieval procedure are OK, but barring incentives is designed to protect against researchers’ “undue influence” that might compromise a woman’s good judgment about the risks and outcomes of her decision.
This policy stands in stark contrast to paying women for eggs for reproductive purposes. In this case, college women and others can be paid handsomely—many thousands of dollars—for their eggs, which are then offered to childless couples who can’t otherwise conceive. Here’s one scholar’s view, along with a podcast, of this US “market paradox.”
Though it’s hard to tell at this stage, prohibiting payment for eggs may cause a dearth of eggs for research.
UK
The UK takes a different (and perhaps more enlightened) approach. Women in England are offered half-off a fertility treatment (about a $3,000 discount) if they donate some of their eggs for research (each procedure yields about 10-12 eggs). The procedure is regulated at a local and national level by ethics committees and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
Opponents of “egg sharing” fear that the UK policy will take advantage of vulnerable women. Some researchers fear that even with programs like this one, there will be not enough eggs available, and have proposed new (and unproven) technologies to produce additional human embryonic stem cell lines. Cybrids are one such approach: for more on cybrids and chimeras use the tag cloud on the upper right nav bar.
The unusual result? Because of California regulations prohibit payment for eggs, it’s not clear whether an embryonic stem cell line made from the UK’s egg sharing plan can be used by researchers receiving support from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
1 Comment
February 2, 2008 at 10:54 am
I am currently an undergraduate student majoring in biology, and have long found this a fascinating issue, and personally believe that our country is denying itself research into what could be the greatest emerging field of science. I support the creation of such programs as this in the United States, and would encourage a stronger public education program as well. Without such programs the layperson is not encouraged to aid in this important field of research and medicine, even though they may potentially be helping to eventually save their own life or their children’s.
I have found most people do not understand most of why stem cell research is a promising field of science and medicine, and that upon learning more about it they begin asking themselves: “Why aren’t we doing more to fund this?” Many people (including some government officials, I believe) still believe that the only source of viable stem cells is from an undeveloped fetus. The fact that our scientific community is discovering new sources for this research and medicine every year, despite a lack of strong government encouragement, only emphasizes the potential of this field. I was strongly encouraged by the President’s recent State of the Union address, in which he cited the scientific potentials our country was denying itself.
Leave a Reply