title: Use of human embryonic stem cells and umbilical cord blood stem cells for research and therapy: a prospective survey among health care professionals and patients in Switzerland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Scientific progress in the biology of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) provides opportunities for advances in therapy for different diseases. While stem cell sources such as umbilical cord blood (UCB) are unproblematic, other sources such as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) raise ethical concerns.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a prospective survey we established the ethical acceptability of collection, research, and therapy with UCB HSCs versus hESCs among health care professionals, pregnant women, patients undergoing in vitro fertilization therapy, parents, and HSC donors and recipients in Switzerland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was overall agreement about an ethical justification for the collection of UCB for research and therapy in the majority of participants (82%). In contrast, research and therapy with hESCs was acceptable only by a minority (38% of all responders). The collection of hESCs solely created for HSC collection purposes met overall with the lowest approval rates. Hematologists displayed among the participants the highest acceptance rates for the use of hESCs with 55% for collection, 63% for research, and 73% for therapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study assessing the perception of hESCs for research and therapy in comparison with UCB HSCs in different target groups that are exposed directly, indirectly, or not at all to stem cell-based medicine. Our study shows that the debate over the legitimacy of embryo-destructive transplantation medicine is far from over as particularly hESC research continues to present an ethical problem to an overwhelming majority among laypersons and even among health care professionals.
authors: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Bern and the University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital and Children's Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland; University Clinics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Faculty of Law, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors: Anna Margaretha
authors: AM
authors: Wagner
authors: Werner
authors: W
authors: Krenger
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Holzgreve
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Bürkli
authors: Daniel V
authors: DV
authors: Surbek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002469:Cell Separation; D036101:Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D053652:Nuclear Transfer Techniques; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland