PM backs down on stem cell research 'roadblock'

The Australian prime minister, John Howard, has dropped plans for a 12-month extension to the current restriction on creating new embryonic stem cell lines, which is due to expire on April 5, after being rebuffed by state premiers.

The controversial Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002, which restricted researchers to the use of embryos created prior to April 5, 2002, included a sunset clause which allows the repeal of the restriction on April 5 this year.

But last week, it was revealed that the prime minister had written to state premiers in January asking them to extend the restriction for a further 12 months, dismaying researchers, who said the delay would put Australia's stem cell research efforts even further behind.

Assoc Prof Martin Pera, from the Australian Stem Cell Centre, said the PM's back-down was a good decision. "The moratorium could have put roadblocks in front of efforts to generate new stem cell lines," he said.

Pera noted that a dwindling supply of stored IVF embryos, which in many states are stored for a limited time period, and difficulties in contacting donors after several years had gone by, were potential factors that could influence the availability of embryos for research use.

"There is no difference between embryos stored before and after April 5, 2002, from an ethical standpoint," Pera said. "The safeguards that are already in place are more than adequate."

In fact, the first licences from the NHMRC to use spare embryos for research were only issued last year, and only a handful have been granted to date, including three licences to create new embryonic stem cell lines for research use.

"I think the activity of generating new embryonic stem cell lines that will be widely available to the research community and made with new technology will be very important to Australia," Pera said.

Battle to come

But the fight isn't over for embryonic stem cell researchers, who are waiting for the government to announce the review panel and terms of reference for both the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 and the Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002, expected sometime in the next month.

"The sooner that we can move forward on the review, the better," said Pera.

At issue is the use of nuclear transfer techniques, also called therapeutic cloning, to create patient-specific cell lines. Currently this technique is banned in Australia, subject to a moratorium and researchers expect it to be the major issue in the upcoming debate, with opponents including several prominent federal cabinet members and the Catholic church.

''We can't afford to fall behind other countries with pioneering research or we will be disadvantaged in our ability to help Australians," said Joanna Knott, spokesperson for the patient advocacy group CAMRA (the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research Australia), which was set up by a number of research organisations including SpinalCure Australia, the Australian & NZ Society for Cell and Developmental Biology, the Australian Society of Medical Research, the Diabetes Transplant Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital/University of NSW, and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Nuclear transfer was also the focal point of recent UN debates on a proposed treaty to ban all forms of human cloning. Unexpectedly, Australia chose to side with a conservative US-led faction which requested a total ban on human cloning including nuclear transfer, a decision which surprised many advocates of the research.