Question
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 16 October (WA 67–8) regarding the inspection report for research licence R0152 dated 18 June 2008, what assessment has been made of the superior compatibility with clinical application of stem cells derived by nuclear transfer, compared with induced pluripotent (iPS) cells as described in the journal Science (Volume 318, issue 5858, pages 1920–23) and in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA (Volume 105, Issue 15, pages 5856–61) or iPS cells that are not derived by viral insertion as described in the journal Science (DOI:10.1126/science.1164270).
Answer
The scientific consensus is that it is too early to say what type of stem cell will be best for any particular clinical application. That is why the United Kingdom Government are and always have been supportive of the use of stem cells from all sources, including embryos, foetuses, adult tissue and umbilical cord.