Revisions to GIM 36 Human Embryo and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Policy and Guidelines
UW’s policy governing human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research has been changed to include oversight of research involving human embryo models and human gametes. View ESCRO Changes for an overview of recent changes to the policy.
Purpose
The ESCRO program assures the compliant and ethical conduct of research involving human gametes, human embryos, human embryo models, and the development and study of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and their pluripotent derivatives (“covered research”).
Policies and Guidance
The University of Washington believes that such covered research is essential to expanding fundamental scientific knowledge of cellular and developmental human biology. The University has further concluded that such research offers significant potential to develop treatments for many serious and debilitating human diseases, disorders, and health conditions, including genetic diseases, tissue injuries, spinal cord injuries, degenerative diseases such as heart disease, and various diseases of the nervous system and other organs.
It is the University’s policy to permit and encourage qualified investigators to engage in responsible and ethical research involving covered research.
University Policy GIM 36 on Human Embryo and Stem Cell (hESC) Research is the governing policy for UW hESC researchers and is based on the following guidance and policy:
- NIH Guidelines on Human Stem Cell Research
- Executive Order, March 9, 2009
- National Academies of Science (NAS) Stem Cell Information Guidelines and Amendments
- International Society for Stem Cell Research, known as the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation
Human Embryo and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Committee
ESCRO Committee members are appointed by, and serve as advisors to, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research. ESCRO Committee membership reflects the scientific, medical, and ethical expertise necessary to review hESC research applications and includes unaffiliated community members from the public.
The ESCRO Committee’s review shall be specific to the scientific and ethical issues presented by proposals to use human gametes, human embryos, human embryo models, and the development and study of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) and their pluripotent derivatives in covered research in particular research projects. ESCRO Committee review and approval shall be deemed to be separate from, and in addition to, any other reviews or approvals otherwise required at the UW for such research, including but not limited to committees or administrative offices having responsibility for review and approvals of human subjects research, animal research, biological safety, radioactive materials, and environmental safety.
View our ESCRO Committee information on the Committee’s membership, responsibilities, review standards, conflicts of interest, and coordination with UW’s IRB.
UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
The UW Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM) has been established for the purpose of facilitating and encouraging basic research on hESCs to develop therapies and cures for human disease. In making decisions about policies and procedures governing the conduct of hESC research, the UW and the ESCRO Committee will provide reasonable opportunities for investigators who are part of ISCRM to express their views on such matters and consider such views in making decisions. The ESCRO Committee and ISCRM will strive to cooperate in establishing efficient mechanisms for the review of hESC research proposals and the training of hESC research investigators.
Policy, Regulation, and Guidance
GIM-36
ESCRO Changes
What is UW’s Embryo and Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight?
• Why does ESCRO exist – what makes it unique?
o ESCRO addresses unique ethical issues specific to stem cell research, such as the use of human embryonic stem cell lines created from the destruction of a human embryo.
• In late 2007, GIM 36 was born: UW’s policy and guidelines on human embryonic stem cell research.
o Then-President Bush allowed very limited federal funding for research on a set of established hESC lines.
o UW responded by creating GIM 36 in anticipation of further regulation and protection of UW interests:
Use of equipment, supplies, buildings for research involving hESCs ineligible for federal funding;
Types of research that could occur at the UW;
ESCRO Committee composition and review;
Establishment of registry of hESC lines at UW.
o President Obama allowed more federal funding for research using established hESCs and the creation of an NIH human embryonic stem cell registry still in effect today.
ESCRO Committee
A. Introduction
The ESCRO Committee’s review shall be specific to the scientific and ethical issues presented by proposals of covered research. The UW’s Vice Provost for Research establishes the ESCRO Committee, which shall have general authority to review, conditionally approve, require modifications of, or disapprove all human embryo and human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research proposals at the UW requiring review under GIM 36. The ESCRO Committee may from time to time advise and make recommendations to the Vice Provost for Research with respect to legal, ethical and policy issues regarding hESC research. The UW Office of Research will provide necessary administrative support for the ESCRO Committee.
The ESCRO Committee review and approval shall be deemed to be separate from and in addition to any other reviews or approvals otherwise required at the UW for such research, including but not limited to, committees or administrative offices having responsibility for review and approvals of human subject’s research, animal research, biological safety, radioactive materials, and environmental safety.
B. Membership
The Committee is composed of members with scientific education, background, and experience relevant to subject matter described as covered research. Additionally, the Committee contains members from the public unaffiliated to the University of Washington, who provide input on public concerns relevant to the research.
C. Responsibilities
The ESCRO Committee’s review shall be specific for the scientific and ethical issues presented by proposals to use human embryo and hESC research in particular research projects. The Committee shall provide, in accordance with GIM 36, scientific and ethical review of proposed human embryo and hESC research including compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and UW policies. Committee responsibilities include:
1) Review and approve or disapprove all human embryo and hESC at the UW or involving UW personnel requiring institutional review (subject to any other UW approvals that may also be required);
2) Provide continuing review and approval of all human embryo and hESC research requiring institutional review, including review of progress and similar reports that may be submitted to the UW by investigators conducting human embryo and hESC research.
3) Confirm that the provenance of relevant tissues and stem cell lines are used in research at the UW or involving UW personnel is adequately demonstrated, and when appropriate, confirm that there is IRB approval of the process for acquisition of tissues and stem cell lines to verify adherence to basic ethical and legal principles of informed consent and protection of confidentiality;
4) Refer to, and require review of research proposals by other oversight offices or committees as required by UW policies, including but not limited to those relating to human subjects research (IRB), animal research, biological safety, and conflicts of interest;
5) Prescribe, establish and maintain a registry of hESC lines maintained at the UW;
6) Prescribe, establish and maintain a database of ongoing human embryo and hESC research at the UW, including information regarding key personnel, the type of human embryo and hESC research, and the tissues and cell lines in use;
7) Monitor national, state and local ethical, regulatory and policy discussions regarding human embryo and hESC research and from time to time propose modifications to UW policy as needed.
8) Adopt, implement, and publish rules of procedures that are consistent with GIM 36 and other UW policies governing the conduct of ESCRO Committee affairs and interactions by investigators with the ESCRO Committee, including but not limited to rules covering: quorum requirements; conflict of interest disclosures by members; meeting format, schedules and length; workload assignments; content of minutes; applications and other forms; criteria for evaluating human embryo and hESC research proposals; and communication of decisions; and
9) Facilitate education and training of investigators in the policy, ethical, legal, regulatory, and compliance issues involved in human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research, including recommending minimum compliance training requirements as a condition for participating in human embryo and hESC research.
D. Review Standards
The ESCRO Committee review shall be primarily directed to determining whether proposed human embryo and hESC research is scientifically meritorious and ethically acceptable. The ESCRO Committee shall only approve human embryo and hESC research proposals whose goals are judged to be scientifically worthy and whose methods demonstrate sound research design, such that it can be reasonably expected that the study is likely to answer the proposed questions and to achieve the stated goals of the research. In so doing, the ESCRO Committee shall take into account the inherent uncertainty of the outcome of scientific research while also assessing the overall importance or significance of the proposed research. In carrying out its review, the ESCRO Committee shall give substantial consideration to any ethical or social aspects of the proposed research and shall not approve any proposal that is inconsistent with the prohibitions outlined in the Research and Review Categories table or otherwise fails to meet generally accepted ethical principles for the conduct of human embryo and hESC research and other research. In accordance with the ESCRO Committee’s rules of procedure, an investigator proposing to conduct human embryo and hESC research will be required to provide the ESCRO Committee no less than a detailed description of the proposed research, adequate documentation demonstrating the provenance of human embryo and hESC lines to be used in the research, and evidence of compliance with other required reviews. In cases where a proposal fails to meet the requirements of GIM 36, the ESCRO Committee Chairperson may disapprove the application without review by the full ESCRO Committee. In making determinations, the ESCRO Committee shall have authority to grant full conditional approval (subject to obtaining all other required UW approvals), conditional approval (such to specific conditions, limitations, or changes) or disapprove proposed human embryo and hESC research. The ESCRO Committee may also establish rules and procedures by which applications may be reconsidered or resubmitted with substantial revisions.
E. Conflicts of Interest
1. Researcher Significant Financial Interests. All investigators participating in human embryo and hESC research shall disclose personal financial interests in accordance with the UW’s Significant Financial Interest Disclosure Policy, GIM 10. The ESCRO Committee research proposal application shall include questions, comparable to those on the UW’s human subjects research application, representing and affirming compliance with GIM 10 by investigators proposing to participate in hESC research.
2. ESCRO Committee Member Conflicts of Interest. It shall be the responsibility of each ESCRO Committee member to disclose all personal, financial, and other competing interests, in accordance with the UW’s Significant Financial Interest Disclosure Policy, GIM 10, that could reasonably be seen as affecting the ability of the committee member to impartially discharge the committee member’s duties. Potential conflicts include but are not limited to personal financial interests, professional interests, or personal relationships having a significant connection to a matter under consideration by the ESCRO Committee. The ESCRO Committee as a whole shall determine whether and the extent to which a disclosure disqualifies the committee member from participating in the review of a particular matter under consideration.
F. Coordination with UW Institutional Review Board
To ensure consistent and efficient processing of human embryo and hESC research proposals requiring IRB review, the UW Human Subjects Division shall designate a single IRB committee as having exclusive jurisdiction to review all human embryo and hESC research proposals requiring IRB approval. In carrying out their reviews, the IRB and ESCRO Committee shall strive to coordinate their activities to avoid unnecessary overlap and duplication of reviews and shall cooperate in the sharing and interchange of information to the extent permitted by applicable rules and regulations.
ESCRO Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Guidelines
Inventions and Discoveries. Intellectual property and or materials of commercial value created by UW investigators in the course of hESC research will be disclosed to UW CoMotion in accordance with the UW Patent, Invention, and Copyright Policy. All intellectual property arising from human embryo and hESC research shall be managed in accordance with the foregoing policy and the rules and procedures of UW CoMotion Consistent with the foregoing, the UW recognizes that there may be instances in which it will be in the public interest to place intellectual property arising from human embryo and hESC research in the public domain for broad no-cost dissemination . Provided it does not conflict with any other agreements including funding or internal UW agreements, and is not already under management by UW CoMotion, decisions in such cases shall be made by UW inventors, creators, and/or authors after appropriate consultations with the principal investigator and co-creators on the research.
Material Transfer Agreements. Incoming and outgoing transfers of human embryo and hESC, hESC lines, hESC derived cell lines, hESC derivatives, and other materials where UW wishes to control downstream usage and further distribution shall be documented through material transfer agreements approved by the UW CoMotion MTA Group.
Funding and Facilities Guidelines
Forms, Tools, and Resources
ESCRO Application Form
Amendments to approved applications
Amendments must be submitted by the Principal Investigator. Amendments to approved ESCRO applications include the changes below:
- Changes in scientific experiments
- Changes to the Principal Investigator
- Addition of research ineligible for federal funding
- Addition of hESC or hESC like lines
- Changes to intended research
Use the ESCRO Application Form (for new and amendments) to report any changes meeting the above criteria.
Annual Updates & Closed Studies
Annual updates must be submitted by the Principal Investigators within a month of the annual anniversary of approved ESCRO applications.
Use the Annual Update form to inform the ESCRO office of the types and sources of cells used in approved embryo and stem cell research.
Closed studies are those that have concluded and where the cell lines and/or tissue will no longer be used.
The Principal Investigator must send an email to to report a closure to an existing application.
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Example of Research and Review Categories
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