Some Ethical Concerns About Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells can be obtained from somatic cells, and their derivation does not require destruction of embryos, thus avoiding ethical problems arising from the destruction of human embryos. This type of stem cell may provide an important tool for stem cell therapy, but it also results in some ethical concerns. It is likely that abnormal reprogramming occurs in the induction of human induced pluripotent stem cells, and that the stem cells generate tumors in the process of stem cell therapy. Human induced pluripotent stem cells should not be used to clone human beings, to produce human germ cells, nor to make human embryos. Informed consent should be obtained from patients in stem cell therapy.
College of Life Science, Linyi University, Linyi City, Shandong Province, China. zyl_sdly@126.com.
Yue Liang
YL
Zheng
D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000941:ethics; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; D007258:Informed Consent; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000941:ethics
Ethical concerns; Human cloning; Human embryo; Human germ cell; Human induced pluripotent stem cells; Informed consent; Reprogramming; Tumorigenicity