Are there morally acceptable alternatives to blastocyst derived ESC?
ESC derivation, use and SCNT have raised many moral and ethical issues. In this opinion piece I have focused on the argument that morally less ambiguous alternatives to ESC derived from the ICM of blastocysts exist. These possibilities range from using multiple adult stem cell populations each of which is uniquely suited for a particular disease target or identifying adult ESC-like populations, using transdifferentiated ESC-like cells or alternate methods of deriving ESC. I suggest that while it is important to support such efforts, current results do not provide sufficient compelling data to allow one to stop the use of ESC and perhaps adult cells will never be a reliable alternative. All options need to be fully explored and decisions need to be made with scientific rigor and respect for each individual's moral compass.
Rao
Mahendra S
MS
Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA. raomah@grc.nia.nih.gov
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001675:Bioethics; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology