Egg donors see fruits of labour
Egg donors see fruits of labour
2008-07-04Newsfeed
A world-first medical research programme in the North East in which women donated eggs in return for help with IVF treatment has proved a big success.
A world-first medical research programme in the North East in which women donated eggs in return for help with IVF treatment has proved a big success.
Seven women who donated eggs in return for cut-price in vitro fertilisation treatment at the Newcastle Fertility Centre are now expecting babies, it has been revealed.
The eggs are being used by the North East England Stem Cell Institute (Nesci) - a collaboration between Durham and Newcastle Universities - for pioneering research into stem cell therapies.
Groups opposed to stem cell research have condemned the programme, but it has meant that scientists have access to a much larger pool of donated human eggs, giving them an international advantage in the race to develop treatments for conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Two years ago, Nesci became the first organisation in the UK to be granted permission to recruit human egg donors by the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority. The move came after the team succeeded in cloning Britain's first human embryos.
Under the scheme, women pay only half the £3,000 it costs for IVF treatment. In return, half their eggs are used for research.
Copyright © The Press Association 2008
