Following the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) announcement regarding finalized guidelines for federally funded human pluripotent stem cell research, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education held a September 7 hearing to discuss the issue.
The debate over stem cell research first surfaced in November 1998 when two scientists announced that they had isolated human pluripotent stem cells—primitive cells that have the capability of developing into virtually any human cell—and were able to cultivate those cells into other human cells. The isolation of human pluripotent stem cells presents scientists with the potential capability of growing human tissue that could be used to treat a number of diseases, such as juvenile diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, by replacing diseased cells with healthy ones.
In January 1999, the NIH announced that the agency would begin funding human pluripotent stem cell research after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ruled that such research did not fall under the federal ban on human embryo research because “such cells are not a human embryo within the statutory definition.” Since 1994, federal law has prohibited federal funding of human embryo research, but researchers are allowed to conduct research on aborted fetal tissue using federal dollars if they follow a series of safeguards set forth in the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-43). Under current law, prior to donating fetal tissue for research purposes, a woman is required to sign a statement declaring that she is donating the tissue; that she understands a recipient cannot be designated; and that she does not know the identity of the recipient. Additionally, the physician performing the abortion is required to certify that the woman gave her consent for the procedure prior to being advised that she could donate the tissue.
Final guidelines for federally funded human pluripotent stem cell research were published by the NIH on August 25. Under the guidelines, federal funds may be used for research on human pluripotent stem cells derived from human embryos or fetal tissue. Researchers may use human embryos only if the embryos were created for fertility treatment, were in excess of the clinical need for such treatment, and were donated to science. The guidelines prohibit the use of monetary or other incentives to encourage embryo donation, and there must be a clear separation between the fertility treatment and the decision to donate excess embryos. The guidelines restate current law with respect to research involving fetal tissue.
Dr. Gerald Fischbach of the National Institute of Neurobiological Disorders and Stroke at the NIH told the subcommittee, “Federal funding would encourage openness, stimulate more discoveries and translate the promise of this research into practical use more quickly, efficiently, and effectively—and with procedural safeguards.”
Noting that similar research could be conducted on adult stem cells, Dr. David Prentice of Indiana State University said, “The scientific literature overwhelmingly demonstrates that adult stem cells are already fulfilling the goals only hoped for with embryonic stem cells, making destruction of human embryos completely unjustifiable.”
