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Stem Cell Research in New Zealand

This report was published in April 2007.  

Challenges and Opportunities for the Research Sector

This is one in a series of Futurewatch reports presenting emerging areas of science and their relevance to New Zealand. This report is not government policy but has been produced by MoRST to share widely and inform future government policy and advice.

Contents

• 1. Introduction and background
• 2. Stem Cell backgrounder
• 3. The promise of regenerative medicine
• 4. Stem cell research in New Zealand
• 5. Society and stem cell research
• Glossary of terms
• Annex 1. Ethical approval process under the HART Act
• Annex 2. International Regulations

 

Experimental Stem Cell Therapies

A growing number of New Zealanders are heading overseas to receive stem cell-based therapies for a range of medical conditions. These treatments are currently not approved in New Zealand and tend to be offered in countries with less rigorous regulatory controls than ours.

Stem cell research is progressing and certainly has enormous potential to result in beneficial therapies. However, many stem cell based treatments currently on offer are still unsupported by scientific evidence of their safety and efficacy. Many are being supplied in exchange for substantial fees outside the context of a scientifically rigorous and ethically approved clinical trial, and without adequate disclosure surrounding the current lack of evidence and potential risks involved.

Below is a link to an interview, hosted by Russell Brand on Media 7, which raises these concerns in light of recent news reports of ‘miracle cures’ involving experimental stem cell treatments.

It discusses the reports and the science behind the treatments with Dr Bronwen Connor, Head of the University of Auckland’s Neural Repair and Neurogenesis Group and Adrienne Kohler, communications director of the Neurological Foundation of New Zealand.

http://www.sciencemediacentre.co.nz/2009/10/09/media-7-experimental-stem-cell-treatment

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