Stem cell therapy may be the hope for the future of treating debilitating diseases and brain stem and spinal cord injuries, but it’s never been without controversy due to the fact that the embryonic stem cells most useful in treatment are removed from human embryos about five days after fertilization, destroying the embryos in the process. On Oct. 18, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) delivered a blow to stem cell researchers and the institutions that fund them with its ruling in Oliver Brüstle v. Greenpeace e.V., which will block patents in the EU on stem cells derived from human embryos.
Some people believe the case’s effect may be blunted by new developments in stem cell research that may someday eliminate the need for human embryonic stem cells. Nonetheless, stem cell researchers in particular are concerned about the ruling’s impact on the advancement of science and investment in the field now that EU patent protection is no longer a possibility.
