Mixed response from scientists for PM's stem cell thumbs-up

Surplus IVF embryos will be available for stem cell research after Prime Minister John Howard today wrote to state premiers proposing the legislative change.

Making his statement ahead of Friday's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting, Howard said only existing embryos would be made available under an arrangement closely monitored by the National Health and Medical Research Council, and reviewed every three years.

He also proposed that the consent of donors would be required in every case where a human embryo is to be used for research purposes.

"It is our proposal and our intention to legislate both the ban on human cloning and also the conditions attaching (to) and governing the use of embryos for research purposes, that we should legislate that nationally," Howard said in the statement.

"We will ask the states and the territories to mirror the legislation at a state and territory level so that we have a comprehensive national legislative framework governing aspects of this."

He said all coalition members were free to make a conscience vote on the issue or put forward an amendment or private member's bill.

'Somewhat restrictive'

The co-director of the Monash Institute of Reproduction and Development's Centre for Early Human Development, Assoc Prof Martin Pera, said he was pleased researchers would now get the green light to derive new embryonic stem cells lines.

But he said limiting research to discarded IVF embryos and proposing a total ban on therapeutic cloning brought disappointing restrictions upon Australian scientists.

Pera said scientists would need to get retrospective consent from donors and would also be held back by the existing five-year time limit on human embryo storage.

"The statement said he would recommend a complete ban on human cloning and we are taking this to mean a ban on therapeutic cloning research," Pera said, adding that this step went further than the three-year moratorium proposed by Kevin Andrews' committee.

"We think it's an unfortunate decision and that it is closing what could be a promising adjunct to stem cell therapies as a way to avoid immune rejection," he said.

Pera said the scientific community would probably view the decision as it stood as somewhat restrictive.

'Excellent outcome'

"My understanding is that he (John Howard) is going to instigate nationwide legislation and that all state premiers have agreed," said Peter Mountford, CEO of Stem Cell Sciences. "This is an excellent outcome."

"The rest of the world is pursuing similar legislation," he added.

"It is important to ensure that the government takes a lead role in how it is done and who is doing it,"

Mountford said that adopting a model similar to the UK system, where all embryonic stem cell lines are to be produced under a license and deposited into a national cell bank for use by all researchers, has a number of benefits, including removing the possibility for commercial interests to block important research.

He said that with the UK and Japan pursuing this strategy, there was a possibility of a tripartite agreement for sharing of embryonic cell lines. Mountford indicated that the US would also probably follow this lead.

However, Mountford also suggested that it would be a mistake for Australia not to reconsider its ban on therapeutic cloning at the same time as allowing the use of spare IVF embryos.

"Australia runs the risk of losing its leadership role in this field and becoming an also-ran," he said.

Additional reporting by Melissa Trudinger