Present role of stem cells for fetal genetic therapy.

OBJECTIVE To provide a Committee opinion on the present status and role of stem cells in fetal genetic therapy. OPTIONS Limited to discussion of new genetic information and technology related to stem cell therapy. EVIDENCE MEDLINE search to identify publications related to this topic after 1980. This document represents an abstraction of the information. VALUE: This Committee opinion is a consensus of the Genetics Committee of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC). BENEFITS, HARMS, AND COSTS The benefit of this update is to educate the reader about genetic stem cells and their use in fetal therapy. At present there is no harm or cost (research with limited clinical application) identified. CONCLUSIONS 1. Stem cell therapy has the potential to be a powerful and successful therapy for certain human conditions. 2. There are significant ethical issues related to the use of stem cells derived from embryonic tissue. 3. Fetal therapy using stem cell replacement has been successful for immunodeficient conditions following early prenatal diagnosis for the "at risk" fetus. 4. Other conditions such as hemoglobinopathies, inborn errors of the metabolism and hemophilia require more research to overcome biological barriers.