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08 September 2005

The application was initially rejected by the HFEA's Research Licence committee which ruled that the proposed research was not permitted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.(The HFE Act). Paragraph 3.4 of Schedule 2 of the Act prohibits "altering the genetic structure of any cell while it forms part of an embryo."

However, the Appeal Committee heard a range of evidence on the genetics behind the research proposed, the scientific process that the research would involve and how the HFE Act should be interpreted. Expert views were also given on the meaning of the phrase 'genetic structure' in relation to the proposed research and the committee heard that this phrase has no precise scientific meaning.

The committee was presented with new evidence from a number of leading geneticists, including world expert Professor John Burn, Professor Martin Bowbrow and Dr Anne McLaren (who was a member of the Warnock committee). It also looked at the history and background of the 1990 Act and the 2005 judgement of the House of Lords (Quintavalle v Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority) which ruled on how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act should be interpreted.

After having satisfied itself that the research would be permissible under the HFE Act, the Appeal Committee went on to consider the detail of the application. Having satisfied itself that the research activities were 'necessary and desirable' under the criteria in the HFE Act and that the use of embryos was necessary for the research, the committee ruled that a licence for this research should be granted.

Read summary information about the application.

Page last updated: 11 March 2009

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