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PRESS RELEASE: SWEDEN: Go-Ahead For Continued Stem Cell Research SOURCE: The Riksdag (press release), Sweden WWWeb: http://tinyurl.com/3osuy Tuesday 23 November 2004 In the future too it will be permitted to do research on fertilised human eggs. But the cloning of human beings is to be explicitly forbidden. On Tuesday, the Committee on Health and Welfare approved the Government's proposal on stem cell research. Fertilised human eggs may also be used to develop methods for treating serious and as yet incurable diseases. Today researchers work with fertilised human eggs primarily to improve methods used in in vitro fertilisation. Researchers will also be permitted to try to create stem cells that can develop into tissue or new organs for people who are ill, using what is known as somatic nucleus transference. This means that nucleus of an unfertilised egg is removed and replaced with the nucleus of a somatic cell from another human being. This type of research and research on fertilised human eggs must first be approved in an ethical assessment. Treatment of Parkinson's and diabetes It is hoped that stem cell research will be able to lead to new methods of treatment for serious, currently incurable diseases like Parkinson's disease, diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases. It is also hoped that it will be possible to repair serious tissue damage such as injuries to spinal bone marrow. The objective is to replace dead cells with healthy ones and in this way restore functions that have been lost. Forbidden to produce children by cloning The method used in somatic nucleus transference is partially the same as that used in reproductive cloning, that is to say cloning to produce children. But cloning with the aim of creating new life is to be explicitly and unambiguously forbidden both in research and in other contexts. What are stem cells? Stem cells are immature cells which might be called the body's raw materials. They have the capacity to renew themselves by way of repeated cell divisions, so that new, exactly identical stem cells are formed. Stem cells can also develop into more specialised cells which can form organs and tissue. A fertilised egg is a form of stem cell. It can develop into new human life and for this reason it is sometimes called the ultimate stem cell. The Christian Democrats wish to ban the donation of eggs to research In principle, the Christian Democrats are favourable to stem cell research, and think that it needs to be regulated by legislation. On the other hand the party wishes to ban both the production of fertilised human eggs for research purposes and somatic nucleus transference. Neither do they wish to permit the donation of eggs for research purposes. According to the proposal the legislative changes will come into force on 1 April 2005. For further information please contact: Eva Willman, rapporteur to the Committee on Health and Welfare, tel. +46-8-786 57 48. Scheduled day for debate and decision: Wednesday 2 February Documents: Government Bill 2003/04:148 and Committee on Health and Welfare Report 2004/05:SoU7 Åse Karlsen Information officer, tel +46-8-786 52 60, 020-349 000 SOURCE: The Riksdag (press release), Sweden WWWeb: http://tinyurl.com/3osuy * * *Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> Please place this address in your address book Please purge all others Web site: Parkinsons Resources on the WWWeb http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn