ESRC Genomics Network responds to decision to extend egg sharing licence

Released: 21 December 2006

The ESRC Genomics Network¹ (EGN) has responded with concern to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) decision to extend the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) team’s egg sharing arrangement².

A public ‘question time’ style debate  in Edinburgh looked at whether women’s health should be compromised in the pursuit of scientific research. An expert meeting held in Cardiff explored the question of whether scientific researchers should be allowed to ask women to provide their eggs for research.

Dr  Alexandra Plows, EGN Research Associate and one of the meeting’s organisers commented:

“I am not surprised by the HFEA decision to grant the license. The HFEA has just run a public consultation³ on donating eggs for research and our expert meeting was fairly critical of the [then] consultation process, which even at the time gave the impression of being a fait accompli. Public confidence in the public engagement process, and ultimately the consultation’s conclusions, is bound to be diminished."

The EGN recently held 2 events discussing the controversial issue of women donating eggs for stem cell research.

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Note to Editors:

Notes to Editors:

¹The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Genomics Network (EGN) is a £12 million investment examining the social and economic consequences surrounding the development and use of the science and technologies of genomics.

The EGN includes 3 ESRC funded Genomics Centres - Cesagen, Egenis and Innogen - and the Genomics Policy and Research Forum. These investments range across 6 universities, and involve over a hundred researchers, from Professors to PHD students, as well as administrative and support staff and a rotating cast of visiting research fellows. The Network is one of the largest social science investments in the ESRC’s current portfolio, and is growing into the largest concentration of social scientific research on genomics in the world.

² Egg sharing is when a woman undergoing IVF treatment donates a portion of her eggs and receives reduced treatment costs in return. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recently gave the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) team permission to operate an egg sharing arrangement for research purposes.

³The HFEA launched a public consultation, ‘Donating eggs for research: safeguarding donors’ on 8 September 2006.