Researchers working with stem cells should follow the example of their colleagues in genetic sequencing and clinical research, development up global networks for sharing data, materials, and intellectual property, according to a report released today in Washington, DC the Hinxton Group, an international consortium that examines issues of stem cells, ethics and law, published half a dozen recommendations he says would make research more efficient stem cells and more beneficial to the common good.
In the decade since the first human embryonic stem cells were isolated, science surrounding stem cells increased dramatically. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different stem cell lines used worldwide. But researchers do not have effective means to compare the features of different cell lines or access lines which could be particularly useful for a given project. And a proliferation of overlapping and intellectual property claims in competition threatens to slow the search even more, said Debra Mathews, a bioethicist at Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in Baltimore, Maryland, and a member of the Hinxton steering committee. "It got to a point where, for science to move forward, these issues must be addressed," she said.
The report recommends the establishment of a public register of global stem cell that would include the characteristics of a cell line and branch information.
stem cell banks and cell deposits that are already helping to store and distribute cell lines should be expanded and should coordinate and standardize their work. Funding agencies, research institutions and journals should make data and mandatory sharing of equipment.
A database of patents related to stem cells is also urgently needed, the group said, to help scientists address the thorny thickets of intellectual property who grew up with the hot field. In addition to the database, researchers, donors and institutions should explore ways that intellectual property could be shared pools of said patents or other agreements that would make it easier for the researchers and companies -to know what charges they might expect costs. The group also recommends that patents for inventions funded by the government must comply with standards that allow a wide use of data, materials and technologies involved.
Such databases and libraries of cells do not come cheap, but Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell scientist at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London, and a member Hinxton the steering committee said several funding organizations have already expressed their support. "Donors are ready for that data are available, and they are willing to put some money in it," he said.
The group focused on human pluripotent stem cells, which can become any tissue of the body. Pluripotent stem cells include embryonic stem cells, which are derived from early embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells, which are made by reprogramming cells taken from adult tissues, such as skin. However, the statement encourages researchers working with cells from other tissues to adopt similar practices and join the network sharing of data and cell banks.
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