| Legal status |
PERMISSIVE WITH RESTRICTIONS |
| Key organization |
The Bioethics Advisory Committee of the Israeli Academy of Sciences & Humanities established the guidelines for research involving hESCs, whereas the Israeli Knesset (the Israeli legislative authority) passed laws on human cloning. |
| Policy |
Israeli laws and policies ban human reproductive cloning but do not address other types of hPSC research. The guidelines address embryo sources and the 14-day rule. |
| Legislation |
Israeli law (1999) bans reproductive cloning and has placed guidelines for hESC research into place. There is no specific legistration on hiPSCs in place at this time. |
| Legislation Link |
http://fs.knesset.gov.il//20/law/20_lsr_341825.pdf; https://www.loc.gov/law/foreign-news/article/israel-prohibition-of-genetic-intervention-extended/ |
| Embryonic stem cell research policy |
Very tight oversite in Israel. Extraction and study of hESCs allowed on surplus IVFs only. No derivation of embryos for research allowed. Therapeutic cloning permitted, but not reproductive cloning. (Israel) Egg Donation Law SH (2010) 2242 p. 520 (2010) https://fs.knesset.gov.il/18/law/18_lsr_300729.pdf |
| Research with embryo |
Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities summarizes the views of 3 major religions as well as the scientific views that up to 14 days is the cut-off point (time when the neural tube starts to form) when embryos can be used to derive hESC lines. This is a UK regulation adopted in Israel and carried over to hESCs. The Academy therefore recommended that supernumerary embryos from IVF be used for the derivation of hESC lines, and that supernumerary blastocysts created by nuclear transfer (therapeutic cloning), may also used for this same purpose. https://www.academy.ac.il/Index3/Entry.aspx?nodeId=842&entryId=18759 |
| Embryo donation and cryopreservation |
Israeli law states that only supernumerary embryos from IVF may be utilized for the derivation of hESC lines. In addition, the law further states that the embryos must be cryopreserved a minimum of 5 years and the donors must have completed building their families completely before PIs may approach donors to donate to the research. |
| Somatic cell nuclear transfer |
The Knesset prohibits human reproductive cloning. On May 23, 2016, the Knesset amended the Prohibition of Genetic Intervention (Human Cloning and Genetic Manipulation of Reproductive Cells) Law. This Israeli law prohibits human reproductive cloning, and the use of 'reproductive cells that have undergone a permanent intentional genetic modification (germline gene therapy) in order to cause the creation of a person'. However, therapeutic cloning was not included in the prohibition. |
