The second of a series of 'public consultations' to evolve consensus on the 'Guidelines for Stem Cell Research Regulation', which was issued by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) around two years back, will be held in Bangalore on April 10. The first such 'public consultation' was organised in Mumbai on February 20.

Dr Geeta Jotwani, assistant director general, ICMR, said that the public consultations are being conducted in different parts of the country to generate consensus of important organizations and people of India on this document. The event in Bangalore will cover the Southern Region including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman Nicobar Islands. It is scheduled to be held on April 10, 2010 at JRD Tata Auditorium, National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), IISc Campus, Bangalore between 10:30 am and 2:00 pm.

All the stakeholders like patient groups, clinicians, scientists, NGOs, religious groups, media, social groups, biotech companies, pharma companies, etc will be invited for the 'public consultations' to evolve a consensus on the document, Dr Jotwani added.

Evolving consensus on the document is important because even though stem cell research holds promise for improving health through regeneration and restoration of damaged organs by various injuries and disease, it also raises several ethical, legal and social issues. The ICMR and Department of Biotechnology had jointly formulated the Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Therapy (2007) providing ethical and scientific directions to scientists and clinicians working in the field.

The guidelines for stem cell research and therapy was prepared for adult, cord blood and embryonic stem cells in response to the support provided by the government to facilitate stem cell research in India so as to improve understanding of human health and disease, and evolve strategies to treat serious diseases. Among several other things, the guidelines struck a severe blow against commercialization of human embryos for stem cell research by stipulating that termination of pregnancy should not be sought with a view to donate fetal tissue in return for possible financial or therapeutic benefits.

The ICMR is conducting 'public consultations' at four different regions in the country as per the assurance given to Parliament. After issuing the guidelines in April 2008, the union health ministry had given an assurance in Parliament about evolving a consensus among the various stakeholders on this important document which is aimed at preventing the exploitation of the gullible people by the unscrupulous elements in commercializing of human embryos for stem cell research. After the elaborate consultations, the ICMR, if needed, will make the necessary amendments in the guidelines.

The third 'public consultations' will be held at eastern region either in Kolkata or Bubaneshwar and the final one for the northern region will be held in Delhi. However, the dates are yet to be finalised.