Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 4, Supplement , Pages 1417-1419 , April 2009

Reproductive medicine meets human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research: the need to adjust the regulatory framework to actual expectations and potential detrimental consequences of hESC research

  • Jose Luis Cortes
    • ,
  • Pablo Menendez, Ph.D.

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationReprint requests: Pablo Menendez Ph.D., Parque Tecnologico de las Ciencias de la Salud, Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Andalusian Stem Cell Bank, Avenida del Conocimiento s/n, 18100 Granada, Spain (FAX: 34-958-894-652).

Received 26 February 2008 ,Revised 9 May 2008 ,Accepted 15 May 2008.

References 

  1. Thomson JA, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Shapiro SS, Waknitz MA, Swiergiel JJ, Marshall VS, et al. Embryonic stem cell lines derived from human blastocysts. Science. 1998;282:1145–1147
  2. Cortes JL, Antinolo G, Martinez L, Cobo F, Zapata A, Menendez P. Spanish Stem Cell Bank interviews examine the interest of couples in donating surplus human IVF embryos for stem cell research. Cell Stem Cell. 2007;1:17–20
  3. Jones DG, Towns CR. Navigating the quagmire: the regulation of human embryonic stem cell research. Hum Reprod. 2006;21:1113–1116
  4. Stephenson EL, Braude P, Mason C. International community consensus standard for reporting derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines. Regen Med. 2007;2:349–362
  5. European Union . Directive 2004/23/EC of European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004. On setting standards of quality and safety for the donation, procurement, testing, processing, preservation, storage, and distribution of human tissues and cells. Official J Eur Union. 2004;L102:48–58
  6. Mortimer D. A critical assessment of the impact of the European Union Tissues and Cells Directive (2004) on laboratory practices in assisted conception. Reprod Biomed Online. 2005;11:162–176
  7. Cortes JL, Cobo F, Barnie AH, Catalina P, Cabrera C, Nieto A, et al. Role of the embryology laboratory in the human embryonic stem cell line derivation process. Cytotechnology. 2006;52:1–11
  8. Braude P, Minger S, Warwick R. Stem cell therapy: hope or hype?. BMJ. 2005;33:1159–1160
  9. European Union . European Union Directive 2006/17/CE, implementing Directive 2004/23/EC of the European Parliament and the Council as regards technical requirements for the donation, testing and procurement of human tissues and cells. Official J Eur Union. 2006;L38:40–52
  10. Bueno C, Montes R, García-Castro J, Greaves M, Menendez P. Human embryonic stem cells: a potential system for modelling infant leukaemia harbouring the MLL-AF4 fusion gene. Drug Discovery Today: Disease Models. 2008;4:53–60
  11. Cortes JL, Sanchez L, Catalina P, Cobo F, Bueno C, Martinez A, et al. Whole blastocyst culture followed by laser drilling technology enhances the efficiency of ICM isolation and ESC derivation from good and poor-quality mouse embryos: new insights for derivation of new hESC lines. Stem Cells Dev. 2008;17:255–268
  12. Cobo F, Stacey GN, Hunt C, Cabrera C, Nieto A, Montes R, et al. Microbiological control in stem cell banks: approaches to standardisation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2005;68:456–466
  13. Cobo F, Navarro J, Herrera N, Vivo A, Porcel D, Jurado M, et al. Electron microscopy reveals the presence of viruses in mouse embryonic fibroblasts but neither in human embryonic fibroblasts nor in human mesenchymal cells used for hESC maintenance: toward an implementation of microbiological quality assurance program in stem cell banks. Cloning Stem Cells. 2008;10:65–74

 J.L.C. has nothing to disclose. P.M. has nothing to disclose.

 Supported by the Consejería de Salud, Junta de Andalucía (grants reference 0029/2006 and 0030/2006), The International Jose Carreras Foundation Against Leukemia Award (EDThomas-05 to P.M.), and the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS-PI070026 to P.M.).

PII: S0015-0282(08)01153-9

doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2008.05.041

Fertility and Sterility
Volume 91, Issue 4, Supplement , Pages 1417-1419 , April 2009

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