Inserm/Bruno Lassalle

The bill to end the ban on research into embryos and embryonic stem cells that was hotly disputed last March is being debated again today in the National Assembly. The status of the embryo is discussed.

This type of research has been banned in France unless special permission is received. (Consult the list of research teams authorised to work on embryonic stem cells).

In recent years, research into human embryonic stem cells (ES) has developed considerably. In fact, the ability to reproduce embryonic stem cells indefinitely and differentiate them into any of the cells of which the human body consists has caused researchers to show greater interest in them.

For the opponents of the bill, the fact remains that the human embryo represents a period in the development of a human being.

For more information about embryonic stem cells, please contact Marc Peschanski, Scientific Director of I-Stem (Stem Cell Institute for the Treatment and Study of Monogenic Diseases).