UK law 'threatens research'

Medical research in the United Kingdom could be seriously harmed by draft legislation governing the use of human tissues unless key changes are made, the Medical Research Council (MRC) and others have warned.The Human Tissue Bill, which is under consideration in Parliament this year, aims to set out ethical safeguards for medical researchers using human tissues. It came about after a series of scandals rocked the United Kingdom in recent years, centered on the removal and use of children's organs after death without proper consent.But the Medical Research Council and other funders of research say important issues need to be clarified during the bill's examination by a standing committee of politicians, a process that began today (January 27). “Some parts of the scientific community are concerned that the Human Tissue Bill will stifle science, but with clarifications at the committee stage, we believe that enshrining in law the ethical principles of research using human tissue will benefit medical research in the long run,” said Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the MRC, in a statement.He also said that the new bill corresponds broadly to the MRC's existing policy. “However, the MRC has a number of concerns over the current draft of the bill which must be addressed to ensure that important research is not impeded or even prevented,” the council said. It released a position statement on the issue yesterday.The Wellcome Trust has been more strident in voicing its concerns. Its director, Mark Walport, said earlier this month that although the legislation has admirable aims, “it could have serious consequences for many patients because it is unclear what research can and cannot be done.” “The case has been made for new legislation in some areas, but the bill's aim of preventing a repeat of the Alder Hey and Bristol tragedies could have unintended consequences by preventing some types of life-saving research,” Walport said.Vagueness is central to research bodies' concerns. They would like to see more clarity across the scope of the bill and particularly around issues such as research using blood samples and remnants of tissue originally taken for diagnosis.Using tissue for research without proper consent is banned in the current form of the bill unless the research can be described as “public health monitoring.” The funding bodies worry that the current wording would stop research aimed at addressing public health questions.If the bill was effective now, research that led to the discovery of genes responsible for the most common inherited form of breast cancer might be a criminal offence, said Walport. “Likewise, scientists might not have been able to study postmortem samples to identify new variant CJD [Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease].”A spokesman for the Department of Health told The Scientist that these sorts of concerns were specifically being dealt with in the committee meetings, which are taking place over the next 2 weeks. “The aim of the bill is to make things clearer about what is and isn't acceptable so all parties—patients, clinicians, and researchers—know where they stand,” he said. The Human Tissue Authority, a new regulator that the bill would establish, would also be able to provide fine detail guidance on details going forward, he added.The bill has already had two readings in the House of Commons since it was introduced in December, and the standing committee that is currently going over it can propose amendments that will then be considered by the House of Commons at a third reading. If passed by the lower house, the draft legislation would then pass to the House of Lords, where it will go through a similar process.

UK law 'threatens research'

Research bodies worry a draft bill on human tissue use could stifle vital science

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