Abstract

The regulation of gene editing techniques involving human cells in Taiwan was set up by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. It is divided into two major categories including “gene therapy” and “human cell therapy”. In the process of developing human cell therapy, research involving human embryos and embryonic stem cells was firstly regulated by ethic guidelines announced by the MoHW. According to Walters’ national regulatory models on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in 2008, Taiwan belongs to “the Moderate Option”, which is between “restrictive” and “permissive” policy options that allows deriving human embryo stem cell lines only from spared embryos left over from the fertility/IVF clinics.