United Kingdom

Legal status
Key organization Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority UK Stem Cell Bank
Policy hESC research is allowed, subject to a licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Licensed research can only take place on IVF embryos up to 14 days after creation or the appearance of the primitive streak, whichever is the earlier. Research needs to prove necessary and aligned with the purposes of the laws, which include increasing knowledge about serious medical conditions, developing treatments for serious medical conditions, advancing the treatment of infertility, increasing knowledge about the causes of miscarriage, developing more effective contraception techniques, developing methods for detecting genetic or mitochondrial abnormalities in pre-implantation embryos, and increasing knowledge of embryonic development. Reproductive cloning is prohibited. specifically for research purposes, embryos created by SCNT, “admixed embryos” including hybrids (created from human and animal gametes), “cytoplasmic hybrids” (created by SCNT using human nuclei and animal oocytes), transgenic human embryos (created by introducing animal DNA into a human cell), chimeric human embryos (created by introducing one or more animal cells into a human embryo), or any other embryos that contain both human and animal DNA, but in which animal DNA is not predominant.
Regulations Human Fertilisation and Embryology Regulation and Chronology: http://www.hfea.gov.uk/1319.html
Legislation Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) and The HFE Act (2008)
Legislation Link http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1990/37/contents and http://www.hfea.gov.uk/134.html
Embryonic stem cell research policy THE HFEA regulates the use of embryos to derive hES cell lines. The use of hES cell lines in research is permitted but is not within the remit of the HFEA.
Research with embryo Research with embryo is allowed. The creation of embryos of for use in research is allowed.
Embryo donation and cryopreservation Embryo donation and cryopreservation is allowed.
Somatic cell nuclear transfer SCNT is allowed under certain conditions.
Privacy and data protection Data Protection Act (1998): http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/29/contents

Projects

Provider

hESC Cell lines

hiPSC Cell lines