In a letter dated 17 April 2019, this charity stated: “We are not currently funding any research that uses human embryos. Where stem cells are used by researchers, they are usually induced pluripotent stem cells. These are mature human cells, taken from skim biopsies or blood samples, that are re-programmed to return to an embryonic-like state and can then be coaxed to develop into retinal cells.
“All research we fund must have clear potential to benefit people with IRD and the research must be conducted following robust legal, ethical and regulatory frameworks.” [#AMRC#]