With human embryonic stem cell research advancing more quickly than the government's appetite for regulating it, a national science panel issued a wide-ranging set of guidelines Tuesday to prevent scientists from crossing delicate moral and ethical boundaries.
Among the many recommendations in the 131-page report is a prohibition against allowing people to produce embryos for profit, and an admonition against transplanting the cells into animals in a way that might make them assume some human qualities. The report, commissioned by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine, also bars transplantation of human stem cells into monkeys or other primates.
The guidelines "should satisfy the public that this research is being done for the best interests of tens of millions of patients," said Daniel Perry, president of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, a stem cell research advocacy group. "It's not something that's being done ad hoc by rogue scientists."
Though voluntary, the guidelines could become de facto regulations here and abroad if the fledgling California Institute for Regenerative Medicine adopts them and requires its collaborators to adhere to them as well.
California's influence has already been felt. The recommendations were finalized ahead of schedule so the state stem cell agency could use it as a template for its own ethical and scientific standards, which must be in place before it can begin distributing $3 billion in grants, as approved by state voters last year.
The willingness to accommodate California's needs reflects the state's anticipated dominance in the field due to an investment that dwarfs all other funding sources -- including the federal government.
Bob Klein, chairman of the stem cell agency's board, said Tuesday he hoped that after review, the board would be able to adopt the guidelines at "the earliest possible date."
The recommendations are designed to assure scientists and the public that embryonic stem cell research is conducted in a manner that recognizes the sensitive nature of the work.
Though the guidelines failed to appease social conservatives who oppose embryonic stem cell research, scientists predicted the proposals would be eagerly adopted by universities and other institutions. "This document lays out the right principles for approaching these issues, and some excellent details about how to do it," said Larry Goldstein, who studies embryonic stem cells at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. "I would argue strongly that we should base our own practices on this, and I hope the state of California will do likewise."
