Although the United Kingdom is well regarded internationally for its initiative with the UKSCB, its regulatory framework poses significant issues for the realisation of therapies from human stem cell lines. A reassessment of the operations of the Bank in the wider context of stem cell line governance provides an opportunity to examine the relationship between the considerations that shaped HFEA policy on embryo research and their impact on the subsequent use of stem cell lines. The proposal of this paper is that governance of the use of stem cell lines is not an integral part of the UK regulatory framework for embryo research and that commercial considerations are not necessarily subordinated to this regime. On the contrary, commercial considerations are highly relevant and should be given close attention by policymakers and the Steering Committee of the Bank in the process of development of an open access production system for stem cell lines in the United Kingdom.
