Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 164), why the use of tissue from patients undergoing a caesarean section could not be fulfilled by the use of a novel feeder cell system as described in the journal Stem Cells (volume 23, issue 3, pages 306–14); and how the use of such tissue relates to mitochondrial biology during early human development.
Answer
Subject to the relevant approvals, tissue from patients undergoing caesarean section may be used in a number of research applications. Such research could be undertaken to investigate a variety of issues, which may include mitochondrial biology during early human development. It will be for individual researchers to decide the appropriate protocols for the maintenance culture of embryonic stem cells in vitro, taking into account the intended final use of those cells.