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Balancing Ethical Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Derived Gametes

  • Reproductive Tissue Engineering
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Abstract

In this review we aim to provide an overview of the most important ethical pros and cons of stem cell derived gametes (SCD-gametes), as a contribution to the debate about reproductive tissue engineering. Derivation of gametes from stem cells holds promising applications both for research and for clinical use in assisted reproduction. We explore the ethical issues connected to gametes derived from embryonic stem cells (both patient specific and non-patient specific) as well as those related to gametes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells. The technology of SCD-gametes raises moral concerns of how reproductive autonomy relates to issues of embryo destruction, safety, access, and applications beyond clinical infertility.

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The study was funded by Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT), (Project Number: 150042).

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Correspondence to Seppe Segers.

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Associate Editor Christiani Amorim oversaw the review of this article.

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Segers, S., Mertes, H., de Wert, G. et al. Balancing Ethical Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Derived Gametes. Ann Biomed Eng 45, 1620–1632 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-017-1793-9

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