Stem Cell Research Germany – Past, Present, Future

Stem cell research in Germany has, historically, been more restrictive than in many other countries, including Finland, Sweden, the UK, and the US, as the 1990 Embryo Protection Act prohibited the use of any embryo that does not serve its preservation (Hüsing et al, 2003, Wiedemann, et al, 2004).  The act, however, did not prohibit the use of embryonic stem cells that were imported, and the German Parliament introduced the 2002 Stem Cell Act to clarify this loophole, thereby allowing the import and use of hESCs for high-priority research as evaluated by the Robert Koch Institute.  These embryos supplying the hESCs had to be surplus from in vitro fertilization treatment prior to 2002, making sure that no stem cell lines could be directly produced for use in German research Research applications so far have concentrated on the use of hESCs to create neural progenitor cells or cardiomyocytes, along with harvesting and characterizing procedures, rather than specific treatments or applications in human patients.

XCell’s approval for a study into the use of autologous stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury represents a shift change in terms of research in general and the techniques used to provide the stem cells for that treatment process.  Importantly, in the research carried out by Wiedemann (et al, 2004), a number of scientists expressed concern that patients, and the research into stem cells itself, would suffer if the focus shifted to industrial and commercial utilization of stem cells for therapeutic application only.