Embryonic stem cells in science and medicine,part II: Law,ethics, and the continuing need for dialogue |
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| Institution: | 1. Proskauer Rose LLP, New York, New York;2. Proskauer Rose LLP, Boston, Massachusetts;1. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Biotechnology Team, Stem Cells Department, National Institute of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Tehran, Iran;2. Stem Cells Biology Department, Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Tehran, Iran;3. Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada;4. Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Kharazmi University (Tarbiat Moallem), Tehran, Iran;5. Department of Biotechnology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Center, Karaj, Iran;6. Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering Department, Stem Cell Technology Research Center, Tehran, Iran;7. Department of Hematology, Faculty of Medical Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran;8. Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Medical Technologies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;1. Neuroscience Research Laboratories, Department of Neurosurgery, VA Medical Center – Research 151, 5000 West National Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53295, United States;2. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, United States;1. Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy;2. Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy;3. Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, United Kingdom;4. Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women''s Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom;5. Department of Paediatric Pathology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom;6. Surgery Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Just as our first article, “Embryonic Stem Cells in Science and Medicine: An Invitation for Dialogue,” in the December 2007 issue of Gender Medicine went to press, two groups of researchers had just announced that adult human somatic cells had been reprogrammed to behave like pluripotent stem cells, and that the reprogrammed cells were able to differentiate into cell types of the 3 germ layers in vitro and in a mouse model. A third group has since done so. Because the reprogrammed cells were not embryonic in origin, the announcements were heralded as “stunning” and “leaps forward,” because, it was argued, the ability to generate stem cells, without destroying embryos in the process, would avoid the difficult ethical questions raised by human embryonic stem (hES) cell research. This article addresses the most recent announcements and briefly retraces the relevant history so that we may consider whether the moral, ethical, and social issues do in fact disappear as a result of these new advancements. We conclude that, despite the hoopla, little has changed. If indeed there were ethical issues surrounding hES cell research, they remain—and remain as urgent to address and resolve as they had been previously. Lastly, we argue that the medical and scientific communities continue to do themselves a disservice by failing to create a cohesive governing body to address and make concrete recommendations concerning the moral, ethical, and related social issues affecting their communities. |
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