Conducting Human Stem Cell Research at UCSC

UCSC activities involving any human stem cell research shall be conducted in accordance with the applicable federal, state and funding agency regulations, including any restrictions on the use of federal funds for such research under the NIH Stem Cell Guidelines.

Procedures for Conducting Human Stem Cell Research at UCSC

• All individuals conducting human stem cell research must submit an application to the UC San Francisco's Human Gamete Embryo and Stem Cell Research Committee (GESCR) for review and approval prior to initiation of the study. Application procedures are located at How to Apply for a GESCR Approval.

• UCSC must also retain records for active UCSC human stem cell research studies. Documentation of GESCR review and approval must be provided to ORCA as follows:

  • For activities that may involve human subjects research; a Cayuse Human Ethics (HE) study should be submitted to determine whether or not the activities represent human subjects research. The final GESCR application and approval letter should be attached in the appropriate section of the study submission. Instructions for study creation can be found on ORCA’s Cayuse Human Ethics page.

  • For animal research activities; send the final GESCR application and approval letter to iacuc@ucsc.edu.

• Obtain approvals from the UCSC Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and/or UCSC Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) also when applicable.  

• Investigators who are conducting research deriving or using human embryonic stem cells that are not on the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry must adhere to all terms of the NIH Stem Cell Guidelines, and should charge the costs of the research to appropriate non-Federal funding sources.