EU ruling on stem cells hailed as triumph of ethics

Tue, 1 Nov 2011

Scientists will no longer be able to patent stem cell work which involves the destruction of human embryos after a landmark ruling last month.

Commentators welcomed the ruling, with one bioethics group saying it was a “triumph of ethical standards over commercial interest”.

The decision, from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), now means scientists may be encouraged to divert their attention to adult stem cells.

Techniques involving adult stem cells do not involve the destruction of human embryos and have already been used in more than 100 treatments or clinical trials. the rest

The ECJ also looked at the concept of the human embryo and said that it “must be understood in a wide sense”.