PEOPLE in Britain who undergo gene therapy will not have to be imprisoned in laboratories, as the law now says they should. The Health and Safety Commission, which drafted the regulations governing genetically modified organisms, plans to amend them to exclude humans.
At present, people who are given a treatment that alters their genetic makeup are subject to the same regulations that govern genetically engineered microorganisms, plants and animals. 鈥淭his would mean, for example, that they would need to be kept in laboratory conditions,鈥� says a spokesman for the HSC.
In Britain, the regulations governing genetically modified organisms came into force in 1992, before the implications for gene therapy were appreciated, and in practice the law has not been applied strictly to humans. Patients undergoing gene therapy for cystic fibrosis at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, for example, have not been confined to the laboratory.
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鈥淲e鈥檝e abided by the spirit rather than the letter of the law,鈥� says the HSC spokesman. 鈥淲e are not here to hinder scientific research,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e want to promote safe progress.鈥�