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Commentaires et discussions sur les aspects de la recherche sur les cellules souches

Tick-tock goes the clock: Laboratory modes of anticipation

The world of science can seem remote to those of us outside the lab. So what is it like to be a scientist? I am a social anthropologist and am interested in understanding how everyday science works. I have spent the last six months in a stem cell research laboratory, observing what the researchers do day-to-day. It turns out that unexpected objects such as the laboratory timer play an important role.

Do we still need research on human embryonic stem cells?

Can induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells replace human embryonic stem (hES) cells? One day this may be the case, but for the foreseeable future, side-by-side research on both types of stem cell is needed.

Realizing the potential of embryonic stem cells: how far have we come?

Thirteen years after the first report of human embryonic stem cells, what have we learnt about them and what hurdles still remain to be overcome?

Stem cells and disease research: challenges for iPS cells

The discovery that adult cells could be ‘reprogrammed’ and converted into stem cells caused a great deal of excitement among scientists. There are high hopes that this new technology will help us study, understand and eventually treat disease. But researchers still face a number of challenges, as shown by several recent studies.

Tackling stem cell tourism

Edited by:  Emma Kemp

©iStockphoto.com/Gennadiy Poznyakov©iStockphoto.com/Gennadiy Poznyakov

Medical travel for unproven stem-cell-based therapies is commonly referred to as stem cell tourism. In an article published in EMBO Reports [1], Zubin Master and David B. Resnik argue that stem cell scientists should take on more responsibility for tackling this problem. So what is their proposal and what questions does it raise?

Tackling stem cell tourism: a comment by Matthew D. Griffin

Stem cell therapy is moving steadily toward worldwide clinical application for a broad range of inherited and acquired diseases. In countries where biomedical research progress is both widely publicised and tightly regulated, it is understandable for those who stand to benefit from the regenerative potential of stem cell therapies to seek more rapid access to treatments. This situation is conducive to practitioners operating under lax regulatory conditions offering treatment to patients travelling from overseas. Indeed, there is good evidence that stem cell therapies are an important driver of medical tourism and good reason to believe that some patients who travel for stem cell therapy are receiving ineffective or harmful interventions.

Tackling stem cell tourism: a comment by Robin Lovell-Badge

Rogue clinics are the scourge of the serious enterprise of stem cell research and its application. They are a risk to patients and to a respectable field of scientific and clinical endeavour with very laudable aims. Therefore rational stem cell scientists will be keen to promote any realistic measure to deal with them. Many are taking action by working to produce agreed guidelines for best practice, and helping to educate regulators and members of the public. In an article published in EMBO Reports, Master and Resnik [1] argue that stem cell scientists should do more to tackle these rogue clinics by controlling access to materials and methods through documents called Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs). You can read a short summary of their proposal in our introduction. I do not think this particular strategy is useful for several reasons.

Stem cell patents: legal aspects

©iStockphoto.com/ Ssolbergj©iStockphoto.com/ Ssolbergj

Lately there have been several cases on the patentability of inventions related to human embryonic stem cells (hESC) in Europe. Now the first case has reached the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the highest European court, whose decision will be binding for all EU member states.

The judgement of the ECJ is still outstanding. However, the Advocate General Yves Bot offered his opinion on the case, which points towards a complete prohibition of patents for inventions relating to hESC. While the court does not have to follow the opinion, it does so in a majority of the cases.

Stem cell patents: ethical aspects

Patent law addresses a problem that is basically ethical: what is a fair balance between the interests of the inventor, the industry, potential users and society at large? 

Advocate-general’s recommendation could undermine European biotechnology sector

In the European Union, research is supported and funded by Framework Programmes. One of their goals is to create opportunities for industry in Europe based on EU-generated knowledge. Participation of industry in collaborative research projects is encouraged. A block on patents would make this extremely difficult to achieve.