Members of the AMRC and the Genetic Interest Group were invited to sign a letter to the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, following publication of the report from the Science and Technology Committee Inquiry into the Regulation of Hybrid and Chimera Embryos. The letter, also sent to Caroline Flint MP, Minister of State for Public Health and Malcolm Wicks MP, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, is reproduced below. A full list of the 223 signatories can be downloaded on the right.

Dear Prime Minister,

As members of two major national umbrella bodies involved in research for patient benefit, the Association of Medical Research Charities and the Genetic Interest Group, we are writing to you following the publication of the report from the Science and Technology Committee Inquiry into the Regulation of Hybrid and Chimera Embryos.

There has been growing disquiet in both the medical research community and among those who know too painfully the reality of illness - patients and families - about the possibility of a statutory ban on work involving the creation of these embryos as a source of stem cells for research into the causes and treatment of disease. 

It is essential to encourage debate about medical research - we respect and acknowledge sensitive feelings surrounding this issue and applaud the public consultations that have and are taking place. However, it is also essential to heed the views of researchers tasked with unravelling and treating disease. They highlight the need for this work because of the shortage of human eggs for medical research and because they see it as a vital avenue of inquiry which could greatly increase our understanding of serious medical conditions and ultimately lead to new treatments.

Organizations such as ours are committed to ensuring that well-regulated, carefully planned and high-quality work for patient benefit is encouraged, in a climate of public understanding and running alongside a background of ongoing public engagement. We know the reality of the conditions that this work could alleviate and urge you to allow it to proceed under these terms.

ENDS

5 April 2007