Embryonic stem cell research - the case for...

Embryonic stem cell research - the case for...

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At the start of 2001, the UK became the first to approve the creation and use of embryos for stem cell research. In response to a report by the country's Chief Medical Officer, Parliament condoned the decision last December. Because of the nature of this legislation, approval was also needed by the House of Lords which was granted in January. Although onlookers may assume that scientists in Britain are fully behind the decision, the subject elicits as much controversy within the UK biomedical research community as elsewhere. The following two Commentary articles, written by experts working in the field of reproductive research in London, illustrate this disunity. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $209.00 per year only $17.42 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * Sinclair, K.D et al. Aberrant fetal growth and development after _in vitro_ culture of sheep zygotes. _J. Reprod. Fertil._ 116, 177–186 (1999). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Handyside, A.H., Kontogianni, E.H., Hardy, K. & Winston, R.M.L. Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification. _Nature_ 344, 768–770 (1990). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Blau, H.M. & Blakely, B.T. Plasticity of cell fate: insights from heterokaryons. _Semin. Cell. Dev. Biol._ 10, 267–272 (1999). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Ourednik, V. et al. Neural stem cells are uniquely suited for cell replacement and gene therapy in the CNS. _Novartis Found. Symp._ 231, 242–62 (2000). CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  * Mezey, E., Chandross, K.J., Harta, G., Maki, R.A. & McKercher, S.R. Turning blood into brain: cells bearing neuronal antigens generated in vivo from bone marrow. _Science_ 290 1779–1782 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Shihabuddin, L.S., Horner, P.J. Ray, J. & Gage, F.H. Adult spinal cord stem cells generate neurons after transplantation in the adult dentate gyrus. _J. Neurosci._ 20, 8727–8735 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Fallon, J. et al. _In vivo_ induction of massive proliferation, directed migration, and differentiation of neural cells in the adult mammalian brain. _Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA_ 97, 14686–14691 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Shinohara, T., Avarbock, M.R. & Brinster, R.L. Functional analysis of spermatogonial stem cells in Steel and cryptorchid infertile mouse models. _Dev. Biol._ 220, 401–411 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Edwards, Robert G. in _Fetal Tissue Transplants In Medicine_. (ed. Edwards, R.G.) xi–xii (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1992). Google Scholar  * Evans, M.J. & Kaufman, M.H. Establishment in culture of pluripotential cells from mouse embryos. _Nature_ 292, 7634–7638 (1981). Google Scholar  * Kuehn, M.R., Bradley, A., Robertson, E.J. & Evans, M.J. A potential animal model for Lesch-Nyhan syndrome through introduction of HPRT mutations into mice. _Nature_ 326, 295–298 (1987). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Hooper, M.L. Hardy, K. Handyside, A. Hunter, S. & Monk, M. HPRT-deficient (Lesch-Nyhan) mouse embryos derived from germline colonisation by cultured cells. _Nature_ 326, 292–295 (1987). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Delhanty, J.D.A., Harper, J., Ao, A., Handyside, A.H. & Winston, R.M.L. Multicolour FISH detects chromosomal mosaicism in normal preimplantation embryos from fertile patients. _Hum. Genet._ 99, 755–760 (1997). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Professor of Fertility Studies, Hammersmith Hospital Imperial College School of Medicine Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament, London, UK Robert Winston Authors * Robert Winston View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Winston, R. Embryonic Stem cell research - The case for.... _Nat Med_ 7, 396–397 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/86442 Download citation * Issue Date: April 2001 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/86442 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

At the start of 2001, the UK became the first to approve the creation and use of embryos for stem cell research. In response to a report by the country's Chief Medical Officer,


Parliament condoned the decision last December. Because of the nature of this legislation, approval was also needed by the House of Lords which was granted in January. Although onlookers may


assume that scientists in Britain are fully behind the decision, the subject elicits as much controversy within the UK biomedical research community as elsewhere. The following two


Commentary articles, written by experts working in the field of reproductive research in London, illustrate this disunity. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview


of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $209.00 per year only


$17.42 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout


ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support REFERENCES * Sinclair, K.D et al. Aberrant fetal growth and


development after _in vitro_ culture of sheep zygotes. _J. Reprod. Fertil._ 116, 177–186 (1999). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Handyside, A.H., Kontogianni, E.H., Hardy, K. & Winston,


R.M.L. Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification. _Nature_ 344, 768–770 (1990). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Blau, H.M. & Blakely,


B.T. Plasticity of cell fate: insights from heterokaryons. _Semin. Cell. Dev. Biol._ 10, 267–272 (1999). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Ourednik, V. et al. Neural stem cells are uniquely


suited for cell replacement and gene therapy in the CNS. _Novartis Found. Symp._ 231, 242–62 (2000). CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar  * Mezey, E., Chandross, K.J., Harta, G., Maki, R.A. &


McKercher, S.R. Turning blood into brain: cells bearing neuronal antigens generated in vivo from bone marrow. _Science_ 290 1779–1782 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Shihabuddin,


L.S., Horner, P.J. Ray, J. & Gage, F.H. Adult spinal cord stem cells generate neurons after transplantation in the adult dentate gyrus. _J. Neurosci._ 20, 8727–8735 (2000). Article  CAS


  Google Scholar  * Fallon, J. et al. _In vivo_ induction of massive proliferation, directed migration, and differentiation of neural cells in the adult mammalian brain. _Proc. Natl. Acad.


Sci. USA_ 97, 14686–14691 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Shinohara, T., Avarbock, M.R. & Brinster, R.L. Functional analysis of spermatogonial stem cells in Steel and cryptorchid


infertile mouse models. _Dev. Biol._ 220, 401–411 (2000). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Edwards, Robert G. in _Fetal Tissue Transplants In Medicine_. (ed. Edwards, R.G.) xi–xii (Cambridge


University Press, Cambridge, 1992). Google Scholar  * Evans, M.J. & Kaufman, M.H. Establishment in culture of pluripotential cells from mouse embryos. _Nature_ 292, 7634–7638 (1981).


Google Scholar  * Kuehn, M.R., Bradley, A., Robertson, E.J. & Evans, M.J. A potential animal model for Lesch-Nyhan syndrome through introduction of HPRT mutations into mice. _Nature_


326, 295–298 (1987). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Hooper, M.L. Hardy, K. Handyside, A. Hunter, S. & Monk, M. HPRT-deficient (Lesch-Nyhan) mouse embryos derived from germline


colonisation by cultured cells. _Nature_ 326, 292–295 (1987). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  * Delhanty, J.D.A., Harper, J., Ao, A., Handyside, A.H. & Winston, R.M.L. Multicolour FISH


detects chromosomal mosaicism in normal preimplantation embryos from fertile patients. _Hum. Genet._ 99, 755–760 (1997). Article  CAS  Google Scholar  Download references AUTHOR INFORMATION


AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Professor of Fertility Studies, Hammersmith Hospital Imperial College School of Medicine Member of the House of Lords, UK Parliament, London, UK Robert Winston


Authors * Robert Winston View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS


ARTICLE Winston, R. Embryonic Stem cell research - The case for.... _Nat Med_ 7, 396–397 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/86442 Download citation * Issue Date: April 2001 * DOI:


https://doi.org/10.1038/86442 SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently


available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative