New Indian guidelines on stem cell research stir hot debate

Even as GlaxoSmithKline and Plasticell have partnered to manufacture hematopoietic cells from induced pluripotent stem cells, based on molecular combinations to be provided by GSK, the Indian government has updated national guidelines on stem cell research to curb what officials term is the 'indiscriminate use' of stem cells for medical disorders, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

The revized guidelines have set the ‘cat among the pigeons’ spurring a debate in India on the regulation of stem cell banking, with industry experts terming the move as detrimental and claiming it would impede research, given that human stem cells may soon hold the key to tackling diabetes and even aid dystrophy.

The guidelines have been revized after about a decade. In order to curb the misuse of stem cell treatments, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology helped with the update, restricting the use of stem cell therapy and cautioning that all other medical applications of stem cells should be viewed as clinical research.