Question
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin on 14 May (WA 135), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has authorised the culture of whole human embryos beyond 14 days to form outgrowths for the creation of stem cells.
Answer
Applications for embryo research licences are considered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's (HFEA) Research Licence Committee (which will refer to advice from the authority's Scientific and Clinical Advances Group). It will consider whether the proposed method for embryo culture and stem cell derivation complies with Sections 3(3)(a) and (4) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1900 (HFE Act). When human embryos are allowed to attach to the surface of a culture dish and outgrow their structure, it is not a breach of Sections 3(3)(a) and (4) of the HFE Act 1990. The HFEA has not licensed the use of mouse embryos as a model of implantation regarding this issue. When considering this issue, the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Group found no published studies regarding the transfer of these outgrowing entities to the womb of any mammal. The view of the group was that the aim of culturing cells in this way is to attempt to create stem cell lines and there is consensus among the scientific community that it is not possible for these entities to achieve a pregnancy.