{"id":1114,"date":"2011-01-19T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2011-01-19T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/2011\/01\/compromise-is-in-sight-for-new-embryo-research-rules-in-france.html"},"modified":"2011-01-19T08:30:00","modified_gmt":"2011-01-19T08:30:00","slug":"compromise_is_in_sight_for_new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/2011\/01\/compromise_is_in_sight_for_new.html","title":{"rendered":"Compromise is in sight for new embryo research rules in France"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Barbara Casassus <\/em><\/p>\n

PARIS<\/span> \u2014 In 2004, France made a radical reversal by lifting its total ban on human embryonic stem cell research. But the law governing approval to conduct these types of studies remains convoluted, and scientists worry that the current system is dissuading companies from setting up research outfits in France. Proposals to update the French bioethics law will finally be presented to Parliament in early February, and a compromise may be on its way to help satisfy all partisans on this score.<\/p>\n

Scientists are virtually unanimous in the opinion that the current ban with exemptions should be dropped, but politicians remain divided over the question. \u201cThe opposition comes mainly from the Roman Catholics and crosses party lines,\u201d says Jean-S\u00e9bastien Vialatte<\/a>, a parliamentarian and vice president of a special all-party National Assembly committee for the new law. Although France has been a staunchly secular country since 1905, \u201cthere has been strong pressure from the Church,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

The draft bill adopted by the cabinet of ministers last October still includes a ban on work involving human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and embryos but has special exemptions for research that could lead to \u201cmajor medical progress.\u201d This is aimed to ease the current requirement in the 2004 French law that any approved research must have the prospect to bring \u201cmajor therapeutic progress.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\u201cThis is a very important improvement,\u201d says biologist Marc Peschanski<\/a>, whose team at France\u2019s Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases (I-STEM) was the first to generate whole skin grafts<\/a> from stem cells. \u201cIt will allow for studies on diagnostics and pathology mechanisms, which could open the way to new therapies,\u201d he adds. Research for cosmetic purposes, for example, would still be illegal.<\/p>\n

The ad hoc<\/em> committee is still hashing out amendments to be added to the bill, but a compromise is starting to take shape. Some people speculate that the ban with exemptions will probably be kept for in vitro<\/em> embryos. But it looks as though the partial ban on hESCs will be lifted and replaced by a general authorization, with restrictions.<\/p>\n

A general authorization to work with stem cells will still require scientists to get approval from the Biomedical Agency, which oversees such projects, for their research endeavors with hESCs. \u201cWhatever Parliament decides [on the ban], it will not make much difference in practice, because researchers will probably still have to seek authorization from the Biomedical Agency before embarking on any embryonic stem cell or in vitro<\/em> embryo research,\u201d director general Emmanuelle Prada-Bordenave says.<\/p>\n

But, according to Peschanski, continuing the system would be \u201ca catastrophe,\u201d especially now that stem cell research is moving from the basic to the applied stage. This means \u201cwe need new industrial and hospital partners and investments involving millions of euros,\u201d and these partners are spooked away by heavy-handed restrictions, he explains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Barbara Casassus PARIS \u2014 In 2004, France made a radical reversal by lifting its total ban on human embryonic stem cell research. But the law governing approval to conduct these types of studies remains convoluted, and scientists worry that the current system is dissuading companies from setting up research outfits in France. Proposals to update the French bioethics law will finally be presented to Parliament in early February, and a compromise may be on its way to help satisfy all partisans on this score. Scientists are virtually unanimous in the opinion that the current ban with exemptions should be  … Read more<\/a> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-policy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1114"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}