Human Stem Cell Committee

The HSCR Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the Senior Vice President for Research, IRB, IBC, and IACUC on the ethical and scientific aspects of human stem cell research. This function is complementary to, and in addition to, the missions of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and will share its insight with these committees.

Charge: The HSCR Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the Senior Vice President for Research, IRB, IBC, and IACUC on the ethical and scientific aspects of human stem cell research. This function is complementary to, and in addition to, the missions of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), and will share its insight with these committees. Functions will include: •Developing research guidelines for AU and its research affiliate entities regarding all human stem cell research including establishing categories of research that require different levels of oversight such as research that is permissible after appropriate review only by the IRB, IACUC, and/or IBC, permissible only after additional review by the HSCR committee; and/or not currently permitted at AU.
• The HSCR will also examine 1) ethical issues related to human stem cell research, including, but not limited to, intellectual property, commercialization, ownership, privacy, confidentiality, and uses of human stem cells; 2) address the derivation of new hESC and hiPSC lines (including the concerns related to confidentiality of the donors of the biological materials used to derive the lines); and 3) will establish and maintain a registry of AU hPSC investigators, the types of research being carried out, and the hPSC lines in use (including the provenance of the hPSC).
• As part of the process, the Committee will review research protocols and investigator brochures, and in the case of collaborative research with investigators in other states or other countries, determine if procedures for deriving and using human stem cells as prescribed by collaborating institutions afford equivalent protections to those required by United States, the state of Georgia, and AU guidelines. The Committee will also review research conducted by AU investigators at non-AU sites, including researchers from elsewhere who are deriving human stem cells for research collaborations. Based upon their review, the HSCR will make recommendations on ethical issues regarding human oocyte, embryo, and stem cell research when requested by the Senior Vice President for Research and/ or individual investigators and clinicians. The Committee will also provide advice, as needed, on other ethical issues relating to human stem cell research projects, and provide recommendations for appropriate ethical and scientific training for stem cell investigators, as well as facilitating community outreach and education to enhance the public’s knowledge and trust in the ethical conduct of human stem cell research at AU.