THE GOVERNING body of University College Cork will today consider whether or not to allow the use of embryonic stem cells for research purposes on its campus.
If it gives the go-ahead to the proposal, which has been recommended by the college's research ethics board and its academic council, it would be the first academic institution in the country do so.
The use of human embryonic stem cells for research purposes has always been controversial because it involves destroying human embryos. However, UCC has stressed that the proposal being considered by its governing body revolves around the use of imported stem-cell lines, not on the generation of embryos for the purpose of harvesting embryonic stem cells in the Republic.
Strict guidelines for staff working in the area will be considered at today's meeting.
Stem cells have the potential to develop into many different cell types and so could bring enormous therapeutic possibilities for treating conditions such as Parkinson's disease.
The president of UCC, Dr Michael Murphy, believes the advantages offered by the findings from embryonic cell-stem research outweigh any anxiety people have about the process. However, he is said to have respect for the argument of opposing factions.
Staff at UCC are divided on whether the research should be permitted. Prof William Reville, a biochemist, is not on the governing body but said yesterday that he was opposed to the policy.
"The primary reason is in my opinion it's completely unacceptable ethically and the second reason is, ethics aside, human embryonic stem-cell research no longer offers any medical or scientific advantage over alternative ethical approaches."
Prof Tom Cotter, also a biochemist at UCC and not on the governing body either, said he was generally supportive of the policy. "There is a huge potential benefit from embryonic stem cells for the treatment of a variety of diseases and these would be degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease."
The chair of UCC's governing body is Dermot Gleeson SC and he is likely to hear opposing views at today's meeting. The Catholic Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, Most Rev Dermot Clifford, is on the governing body and he is expected to strenuously oppose any moves to allow embryonic stem-cell research on the UCC campus.
Speaking on the issue yesterday, a spokesman for the Catholic Bishops in Ireland referred to the Assisted Human Reproductiondocument prepared by the bishops' bioethics committee, which states unequivocally that "once fertilisation is complete, the organism has become a human being".
Ireland has no legislation prohibiting the use of embryos for research.