Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 23 March 2009 (WA 92), how the use in laboratory research of patient-specific embryonic stem cells derived by human cloning differs from the use of patient-specific pluripotent cell lines described in the journals Cell (volume 134, issue 5, pp 877–86 and volume 136, issue 5, pp 964–77), Nature (volume 457, issue 7227, pp 277–80 and volume 461, issue 7262, pp 402–06) and Science (volume 321, issue 5893, pp 1218-21).
Answer
There are a number of different approaches to deriving stem cell lines that can be used in the study of disease in laboratory-based research, these include somatic cell nuclear transfer and the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) lines from patients. It is known that cells derived using different approaches have different features, for instance iPS cells divide more slowly than embryonic stem cells. There are many groups working to identify these differences and to develop iPS cells that are more like embryonic stem cells. However, both of the approaches cited by the noble Lord continue to be valuable in research studies of disease phenotype. The Medical Research Council (MRC) has not made any detailed assessment of the work described in the published papers cited, however these papers indicate the continued rapid development of the iPS field and its continued promise following the development of disease-specific and patient-specific cells. However, it is not evident at present which area of stem cell research may deliver the most effective treatments for particular conditions and more research is needed on all types of stem cells to determine which routes should be pursued in the development of cell-based therapies. The MRC therefore supports research into all approaches to harness the potential of stem cells to understand human disease and develop effective treatments.