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Updated: May 31, 2026

Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions
Published on: November 27, 2017
Who cares about consent requirements for sourcing human embryonic stem cells? Are errors in the past really errors of
Timothy M Krahn1, Thomas E Wallwork
1Novel Tech Ethics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. timothykrahn@gmail.com
Abstract:
Through an Access to Information Act request, we have obtained the consent forms used by the providers of every human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line approved for use by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and examined them to verify whether or not they meet the consent requirements established by Canadian law and regulations. Our findings show that at least seven out of ten consent forms studied did not satisfy these minimum requirements. We then outline various options for responding to this situation in terms of: (i) remedial measures for dealing with executive problems with regulatory oversight procedures; and (ii) remedial measures for dealing with the impugned lines.
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