Sarah Norcross, Director of the Progress Educational Trust [PET], said:
PET welcomes the HFEA's proposal to extend the 14-day limit on human embryo research to 28 days. The regulator has recognised that there are strong scientific and ethical arguments for culturing human embryos beyond the time currently permitted under UK law.
Such an extension will not only help scientists to understand human biology and disease, but also maximise the usefulness of a very precious resource – embryos donated to research by fertility patients, following the completion of their treatment.
Furthermore, the possibility of studying human embryos beyond 14 days will benefit research into embryos at earlier stages. The current limit dissuades researchers from pursuing projects that even approach 14 days, making it more challenging to secure permission and funding for such projects. The latitude to go beyond 14 days will improve opportunities for embryo research more broadly.
The HFEA's proposal is consistent with the UK public having indicated on several occasions in recent years – in a YouGov poll for the BBC in 2017 [1], in an Ipsos survey for PET in 2022 [2], and in a public dialogue initiated by the Human Developmental Biology Initiative in 2023 [3] – that it is open to an extension of the 14-day rule.
[1] See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38635083 – 'Is it time for embryo research rules to be changed?', Matthew Hill, BBC News, 17 January 2017
[2] See https://www.progress.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/pet_fertilitygenomicsembryoresearch.pdf – 'Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research: Public Attitudes and Understanding', Progress Educational Trust, June 2022, p36-37
[3] See https://hdbi.org/s/HVM-HDBI-public-dialogue-report.pdf – 'Public Dialogue on Research Involving Early Human Embryos', Hopkins Van Mil, October 2023, p39-54
PET is a charity which improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.