But what exactly are the ethical arguments and why are they so tricky. Ethical issues in stem cell research and therapy stem cell. Bonemarrow transfusion and organ transplantation are widely practised and regulated by. The stem cells made in culture almost impersonate the way the pituitary glands develop in embryo. Scientists recently succeeded in converting adult human skin cells into cells that appear to have the properties of hescs by activating four genes in the adult cells takahashi et al.
The ethical issues are why should people be allowed to have this. There is a gap in the literature about the ethics of using animal stem cells for human benefit. This is followed by a section on the legal aspects of stem cell research, both from a national and international perspective chapter 2. The promise of human embryonic stem hes cell research as described in chapter 2 raises ethical concerns that require a public policy response. We have just started to get a glimpse of the structural and functional role of neural stem cells in differentiation and migration processes, the origin of synaptic networks, and subsequent readjustments in specific circuits. Ethical issues in stem cell research oxford academic journals. Rapid progress in biotechnology has introduced a host of pressing ethical and policy issues pertaining to stem cell research. For a start, harvesting adult stem cells does not involve the destruction of embryos.
The president of the united states requested the national bioethics advisory commission write a report and provide recommendations regarding issues associated with human stem cells. Although ipscs may appear to solve the controversy over the destruction of embryos in embryonic stem cell esc research by involving only the genetic reprogramming of somatic cells, further analysis of the new technique and its subsequent ethical issues could potentially lessen some ethical advantages ipscs seemingly hold over escs. Ethical and scientific issues in the use of human stem cells 1 ethical and scientific issues in the use of human stem cells. For years, ethical issues hampered progress in stem cell research. Scientific progress in human embryonic stem cell hesc research and increased funding make it imperative to look ahead to the ethical issues generated by the expected use of hescs for transplantation.
Now, however, experts believe that new developments in reprogrammed cells will truly revolutionise the treatment of life. Ethical issues in genetics premarital counseling, genetic testing, genetic engineering, cloning and stem cell therapy, dna fingerprinting the progenyislamic views the main relevant ethical aspects related to care for the family unit in islam can be summarized as follows. Many argue that adult stem cells are where the resources for stemcell research should be directed. Modern medicine, for all its great blessings, occasionally presents us with ethical dilemmas and thus the need to set certain limits. Sep 10, 2012 the advent and growth of technological advances have led to new routes of knowledge. Ethical and moral issues in human pluripotent stem cell ucla ctsi. Both sides of the exchange between new atlantis editor eric. Ethical challenges regarding the use of stem cells. The use of stem cells in the growth of organs and the ethical. Research papers on the ethics of stem cell research argue that as technology becomes more refined, the ethical questions raised by the technology become more persistent and more pervasive. Adult stem cells adult stem cells, also called somatic stem cells, are stem cells which maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found. Review ethical issues in stem cell research and therapy. Stem cell and ethical issues 214 j clin biomed sci 2014.
Key ethical issues in embryonic stem cell research. Ethical perspectives on stem cellbased cellular therapies. Despite the potential stemcell research holds, many people across the world find it controversial and raise various ethical issues that prevent the research from continuing and flourishing. The second phase, research with human embryonic stem cells, creates several ethical issues. After nearly ten years of research, there are still no universally approved treatments using embryonic stem cells. The social, ethical, and policy considerations embedded within this area of research. Different countries have chosen to regulate embryonic stem cell research in very different ways. Can surplus embryos respectfully be used for research. With any hsc research, however, there are difficult dilemmas, including consent to donate materials for hsc research, early clinical trials of hsc therapies, and oversight of hsc research 2.
Human stem cell research and the potential for clinical application 7 introduction 7 stem cell types 8 animal models 14 human models 16 growth and derivation of embryonic. Ethical and safety issues of stem cellbased therapy. Most research on stem cells aims to either use embryonic stem cells to help create therapies to treat diseases and injuries, or use adult stem cells to regenerate a persons damaged tissue or organ. The reprogrammed cellsinduced pluripotent stem cells ipscscould ultimately eliminate the need for hescs. Much attention has recently turned to the promise and potential of human stem cells in therapeutic applications for the repair of cardiac tissue. Advances in stem cell research offer unprecedented insights into human biology and opportunities for clinical translation. Embryonic stem cells offer hope for new therapies, but their use in research has been hotly debated. Newer ethical issues in stem cell research go far beyond the embryo debate, since they encompass all stem cell types, not just human embryonic stem cells, and because they involve human subjects who, despite what one may think about the moral status of preimplantation embryos, are. Review ethical issues in stem cell research and therapy nancy mp king1 and jacob perrin2 abstract rapid progress in biotechnology has introduced a host of pressing ethical and policy issues pertaining to stem cell research. The isolation of es cells from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst involves the use of an embryo which causes specific ethical and religious issues. Apr 14, 2009 however, human stem cell hsc research also raises sharp ethical and political controversies. The medical promise of these cells is the potential to provide an endless supply of transplantable tissue. Stem cell research holds great potential for better medical treatments and cures but is also plagued with controversies related to sourcing of embryonic stem cells, ethical debates about the personhood of embryos, and fears due to misconceptions about the processes of stem cell research and treatment in general.
Ethical and moral issues in human pluripotent stem cell hpsc. It also helps people decide how to behave and treat one another, and what kinds of communities would be good to live in. To understand both the promise and the ethical issues, it is important to understand some basic scientific facts about es and eg cells. The number one ethical issue surrounding stem cell research is that to obtain embryonic stem cells, a fertilized embryo has to be taken out of the mother, thus destroying the potential of that embryo to become a living human. We draw on a sample of the bioethics and scientific literatures to address issues that are specific to stem cell research and therapy. Ethical and scientific issues in the use of human stem cells. The science and ethics of embryonic stem cell research. Thats because stem cells are quite unique compared to other types of cells. Ethics of stem cell research stanford encyclopedia of. In nz we have already cloned a sheep, and in the u. The advent and growth of technological advances have led to new routes of knowledge. Pdf stem cell research promises great hopes for treatment of chronic degenerative diseases and permanent disabilities as well as bringing important.
However, human stem cell hsc research also raises sharp ethical and political controversies. The advances being made in the laboratory are exciting, and the pace at which research using human stem cells is moving from bench to bedside is extraordinary. An overview 1 ethical issues 2 framework for this report 3 definitions used in this report 4 organization of this report 5 notes 6 references 6 chapter 2. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. There are a number of ethical issues in stem cell research that merit discussion, each of significant importance, as we consider how the use of human stem cells will contribute to not only increasing our knowledge of basic and fundamental biological principles, but also how and if their use will reach clinical application. The ethical issues of stem cell research while stem cell research holds the potential to contribute to the development of many different cures and treatments, quite recently, it has attracted much attention from both the media and public on its ethics. Nov 09, 2014 despite the potential stem cell research holds, many people across the world find it controversial and raise various ethical issues that prevent the research from continuing and flourishing. Ethical issues relating to the sources of human embryonic stem or embryonic. To obtain embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed. From the ethical point of view, the use of adult stem cells for therapy raises no new issues. In the case of embryonic stem cell research, it is impossible to respect both moral principles. Results obtained from completed and ongoing clinical studies indicate huge therapeutic potential of stem cellbased therapy in the treatment of degenerative, autoimmune and genetic disorders 1, 2. When the discovery of stem cells was first reported in the literature, the most pertinent ethical concern was whether or not harvesting stem cells from a.
Embryos created in vitro fertilization aborted embryos isolating the inner cell mass destructs the embryos, this raises ethical issues. For one thing, unlike most normal types of cells, stem cells are capable of dividing and regenerating for long periods of time. Stem cell report archived websites at the bioethics research. Stem cell research has been extremely controversial. The derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines from oocytes and embryos is fraught with disputes regarding the onset of human personhood and human reproduction. Stem cell research is unethical medical stem cell research. The possibility of human beings being cloned is a possibility. Ethical issues at different phases of stem cell research. In order to identify these highest standards and define the practices that will make it possible for the stem cell research community to abide by them, meetings are necessary that foster education and deliberation among stem cell researchers, patients, bioethicists, regulatory officials and others about the complex and often novel ethical. Entry to the computer storage room should also be restricted by means of a card key or equivalent system, that records each entry. Es cells can be isolated from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst and can differentiate into all specialized cells in the body they are pluripotent. Stem cell research has been going on in china for a while,and i understand president obama has said the usa will adapt stem cell research. The first phase is the donation of biological material, highlighting the problem of informed and voluntary consent 2. Dec 03, 2010 the main issue is the possibility of cloning.
This collection of essays represent one of the most philosophically engaged and biologically informed discussions of the central ethical issues raised by stem cell research to date. Ethical and policy concerns regarding embryonic stem cell. Stem cell research holds great potential for better medical treatments and cures but is also plagued with controversies related to sourcing of embryonic stem cells, ethical debates about the personhood of embryos, and fears due to misconceptions about the processes. In any hsc research, however, difficult dilemmas arise regarding sensitive downstream research, consent to donate materials for hsc research, early clinical trials of hsc therapies, and oversight of hsc research. To ensure appropriate selection of the members of the legal. Ethical issues at different phases of stem cell research phase of research ethical issues donation of biological materials informed and voluntary consent research with hescs destruction of embryos creation of embryos specifically for research purposes 1. Pdf ethical issues in stem cell research and therapy. Ethical issues in stem cell research pubmed central pmc. Ethical and social considerations of stem cell research nature. The authors conclude by indicating the need for research. Adult stem cells adult stem cells, also called somatic stem cells, are stem cells which maintain and. But embryonic stem cell research could lead to the discovery of new medical treatments that would alleviate the suffering of many people. Ethics and induced pluripotent stem cells the embryo. Sources of stem cells totipotent stem cells can be obtained from blastocysts or other forms of early embryos.
Religion and the public ethics of stemcell research plos. This chapter addresses the primary ethical concerns, specifically public sensitivities regarding the status of the human embryo, the need to respect those who donate gametes and embryos to research, the mixing of human and nonhuman cells, and the. Chapter 3 is an indepth exploration of the ethical issues, especially those concerning the early human embryo. Mention embryonic stem cells in the pub and the topic still divides opinion.
We draw on a sample of the bioethics and scientific literatures to address issues that are specific to stem cell research and therapy, as well as issues that are important for stem cell research and therapy but also for translational research in related fields, and issues that apply to all clinical research and therapy. Bonemarrow transfusion and organ transplantation are widely practised and regulated by guidelines. Ethical implications in the use of embryonic and adult neural. Several other methods of deriving stem cells raise fewer ethical concerns. Ethical and moral issues in human pluripotent stem cell. The reprogramming of somatic cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells ips cells avoids the ethical problems specific to embryonic stem cells. Stem cells hold great promise in helping us understand and treat many human diseases and conditions. We have examined the ethical issues raised by the potential of stem cells derived from donated embryos, embryos created specifically for research purposes. The ethical and policy questions primarily concern the embryonic and fetal sources of these cells.
The harvesting and use of adult stem cells for biomedical purposes, however, avoids some of the ethically and biomedically problematic features of using embryonic stem cells. The recent development of induced pluripotent stem cells ipscs and related technologies has caught the attention of scientists, activists, politicians, and ethicists alike. Key ethical issues in embryonic stem cell research parliament of. Newer ethical issues in stem cell research go far beyond the embryo debate, since they encompass all stem cell types, not just human embryonic stem cells, and because they involve human subjects who, despite what one may think about the moral status of preimplantation embryos, are unequivocally moral persons. Addressing ethical and scientific concerns through oversight. Executive summary was published in september 1999 by the us national bioethics advisory commission in response to a national debate about whether or not the us federal government should fund embryonic stem cell research. Mar 12, 2011 for years, ethical issues hampered progress in stem cell research. Pituitary glands have two distinct parts and secrete numerous hormones regulating many factors including growth, blood pressure, temperature and water balance. Continued success in this area would essentially eliminate the need for embryonic stem cellsand put an end to a major ethical problem. The use of adult stem cells seems to please most people, but the versatility of embryonic stem cells is far more. However, clinical application of stem cells raises some ethical and safety concerns. The extent to which that is an advantage will depend on the extent to which that. Such cloned cells are then induced to divide and develop into embryos. Several issues should be addressed now, even though phase i clinical trials.
The reprogramming of somatic cells to produce induced pluripotent stem cells avoids the ethical problems specific to embryonic stem cell research. The abnormal cells have a proliferative advantage over the remaining normal cells in the culture, suggesting that these cell lines may soon consist largely of abnormal cells. Stemcell research and ethical dilemmas for policy makers. Ethics seeks to determine what a person should do, or the best course of action, and provides reasons why.
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