Ethics & Policy

(Left) David Magnus, Director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics- SCBE. (Right) Mildred Cho, Ph.D., Associate Director of SCBE.

All Institute research is undertaken in accordance with the highest ethical standards and appropriate guidelines. The Institute draws on the expertise of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics for guidance in addressing the ethical concerns surrounding embryonic and adult stem cell research. This guidance covers the broad implications of working with stem cells in both the lab and clinical context.

To ensure compliance with both state and federal law, Stanford University has established a university-wide policy governing embryonic stem cell research as well as an internal review board, known as the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Panel, to oversee its enforcement.

The university policy is designed to help researches take advantage of state funding opportunities while remaining compliant with federal law. With the passage of Proposition 71 in 2004, school researchers may apply for funding through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which is charged with distributing $3 billion for stem cell research over the next 10 years. This state initiative is, in large part, a response to restrictions on stem cell research imposed by the Bush administration in 2001, which limit use of any federal funds to the small number of human embryonic stem cell lines in existence at that time.

University policy accommodates the discrepancies between state and federal law by allowing scientists to pursue human embryonic stem cell research using Stanford facilities, except for those of the federally-funded Veterans Administration Health Care System and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

All work must be carried out in accordance with guidelines that ensure no federal money is used directly or indirectly in this work. Researchers are required to provide a detailed accounting of space, equipment and staff involved in any work they do with stem cell lines not approved by the federal government. As part of this effort, faculty, staff, post-docs, students and visiting scholars involved in embryonic stem cell research are required to undergo training. The university's policy does not apply to work with adult stem cells.