The Academy of Medical Sciences calls for oversight of sensitive research using animals containing human material, in a report launched today. A consortium led by Ipsos MORI ran a public dialogue to capture public views on these issues, which helped inform the Academy’s working group and ensured that the report’s recommendations took into account the views of the public.

• You can download the Academy’s final report on their website.

Highlights from the public dialogue are included throughout the final report.

Ipsos MORI’s report. ‘Exploring the Boundaries: public dialogue on animals containing human materials’ was released in September 2010. The report reveals that the public showed conditional support for research involving animals that contained human genetic or cellular material.

Sarah Castell, Head of Qualitative Methods at Ipsos MORI, who designed and led the public dialogue, said:

“74 people were brought together in the dialogue, to engage with each other and with scientists. This method uncovered people’s real hopes and concerns around the future of animals containing human material. The dialogue structure helped people explain the conditions under which they gave their support, and the reasons which lay behind their arguments. This really helped the Academy understand their views.”

Professor Martin Bobrow CBE FRS FMedSci, chair of the Academy working group that produced the report said,

"This is a complex research area and there should be ongoing dialogue between scientists, regulators and the wider public to address emerging issues."