No laws specifically regulate gene therapies, but they are regulated through existing medical drug laws overseen by the Ministry of Health, which oversees clinical trials and medical drug approval. Any facilities that store cells and other human tissues and medical staff involved in clinical trials and treatments must follow regulations developed by the Ministry of Health.
There are multiple stem cell clinics that advertise treatments for Parkinson’s disease, autism, arthritis and other conditions, but the effectiveness and safety of these treatments is questionable.
A Ukrainian physician who oversees a private fertility clinic that reportedly has done multiple mitochondrial replacement therapies (MRT, aka ‘three parent births’), a form of gene therapy that can help women whose IVF treatments have failed have a baby, has come under criticism. [See Ukraine: Germline/Embryonic]
Products/Research
- ALS: Researchers from Cell Therapy Center EmCell used a combination of stem cell treatment and an exercise regimen to help those with ALS, a progressive degenerative disease that causes paralysis, slow the progression of their disease.
Regulatory Timeline
2002: Council of Europe’s 1997 Oviedo Convention signed, which bans all interventions and modifications in the human germline and the creation of human embryos for research. Ukraine has not ratified the convention.
NGO Reaction
None
Additional Resources
- Genetic Literacy Project’s FAQ on gene editing