The Niche

Revamped stem cell guidelines from the National Academies

The National Academies updated their guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research. Although the guidelines don’t carry the force of law, they are standard practice in both industry and academia in the US.

The amendments re-affirm that women cannot be paid to donate eggs for ES cell research, and clarify that they can be reimbursed for expenses. They also say that potential uses and experiments with induced pluripotent stem cells are broadly the same as ES cells, that if a researcher only wants to study an existing stem cell line in vitro, the ethical review of the research can be expedited. Also, embryonic stem cell oversight committees (ESCROs) should conduct regular audits and make detailed information on ES cell research at their institutions publicly available.

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