HFEA responds to Regulatory Horizons’ Council’s report on in vitro gametogenesis (IVGs)

IVGs are gametes (eggs or sperm) created in a laboratory by reprogramming other cells, such as blood cells or skin cells, to become functional egg and sperm cells.

The RHC’s report lays out the current regulatory landscape of novel assisted reproductive technologies in the UK and presents a case for change in how the UK governs innovation, like IVGs, in assisted reproduction for four reasons:

1. To future-proof the regulatory framework
2. To strengthen safeguards while enabling lawful evidence gathering
3. To match the unpredictable pace of technological innovation; and,
4. To support a pathway within the sector without assuming outcomes.

Peter Thompson, Chief Executive of the HFEA, said:

“As the numbers of people having fertility treatment rises year on year, new technologies offer exciting prospects for medical advancements that only a few years ago would have looked impossible. The UK has long been at the forefront of maintaining public confidence in innovation through regulatory oversight and this report builds on that tradition.

“Although the HFE Act has stood the test of time remarkably well, emerging technologies like these are challenging the Act’s framework – its definitions and technical language – that was designed for a different scientific era.

“We welcome RHC’s report, which looks at how the UK can maintain and develop its position as a scientific innovator. It makes a strong case for regulatory readiness and a framework that is ready to respond by design, if and when needed, instead of the UK being forced into decisions by the pace of scientific development.”

Ends

More information:

Last year, the HFEA recommended that IVGs should be subject to statutory regulation in time, which was the latest in our range of detailed recommendations on scientific innovations made to future proof the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Act. Currently, the HFE Act prohibits the clinical use of IVGs.

• To read the report, visit the RHC’s website.
• To read the IVG paper presented at our January 2025 Authority (Board) meeting, please click here (page 67).