IVG Ethics and Policy Network

3D Render of a Biological Scene with Central Ovum Surrounded by Sperm Cells - AI generated

About the Network

The IVG Ethics and Policy Network brought together a diverse, international group of experts to support informed policy discussion about in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) - a rapidly developing technology that could revolutionise human reproduction by creating eggs and sperm from non-reproductive cells such as skin cells.

The network included representatives from European bioethics commissions; academics with ethical, legal and regulatory expertise; the CEO of a US-based IVG biotech company; and scientists working on IVG in Japan, the Netherlands and the US. By bringing these different perspectives into dialogue, the network aimed to ensure that policy discussions about IVG were well-informed and internationally grounded.

The network built on earlier work by The Future of Human Reproduction team, undertaken in collaboration with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which resulted in a Policy Briefing Note published in 2024.

The first meeting of the network, an IVG Ethics and Policy Symposium, was held on 3rd and 4th June 2024 in Leiden. The programme is available here: IVG Symposium in Leiden - Programme.

Recognising the need for a plurality of perspectives and the importance of taking a proactive approach to the issues raised by the potential introduction of IVG, our network currently includes representatives from European bioethics commissions and committees; academics with ethical, legal and regulatory expertise; the CEO of a US-based IVG biotech start-up; and scientists working on IVG in Japan, the Netherlands and the US.

By bringing these different voices into dialogue through our network, we aim to facilitate more informed policy discussion about IVG.

The IVG Ethics and Policy Network builds on a previous project on IVG undertaken by The Future of Human Reproduction team in collaboration with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The culmination of this UK-focused work, a Policy Briefing Note, is due to be published later in 2024.

An IVG Ethics and Policy Symposium, held on 3rd and 4th June 2024 in Leiden, scaled-up the UK-specific work to incorporate perspectives on the issues raised by IVG in different in-country contexts.

More broadly, the IVG Ethics and Policy Network also speaks to the aims of The Future of Human Reproduction programme, which has IVG as one of its three major research themes.

Events

Live Scribe Art from the Symposium

session 1 country perspectives

Country perspectives

Session 1: 3rd June, Leiden

session 2

Session 2

Session 2

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