Abstract
Most ethical conflicts in clinical medicine are resolvable with the foundational basic principles of bioethics, i.e. autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice. However, the modern medicine is continuously evolving, and in doing so asks challenging questions not just scientifically, but also deeply probes the far-reaching depths of bioethics, generating political, religious, and cultural controversies. Stem cell research, the latest in therapeutic advancements of modern medicine has demonstrated immense potential in laboratory experiments and clinical applications, but these successes have unearthed highly controversial debates on “personhood” and the criteria that would define a human being besides the biological concept. The futuristic potential of stem cell research although marks an exciting phase for scientists, yet horrifies the philosophers, religious thinkers and ethicists about the birth, existence, and proliferation of human clones and chimera. Thus, the inevitable clash between science, ethics, and religion opens the portal to political controversies. This chapter herein will provide the readers an opportunity to reflect on different viewpoints to the argument and ethical debate in stem cell research with special attention to the therapeutic applications in vascular disorders of limbs and myocardial ischemia related disorders.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Adams B, Xiao Q, Xu Q. Stem cell therapy for vascular disease. Trends Cardiovasc Med. 2007;17(7):246–51.
Mauritz C, Schwanke K, Reppel M, Neef S, Katsirntaki K, Maier LS, et al. Generation of functional murine cardiac myocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells. Circulation. 2008;118(5):507–17.
The President’s Council on Bioethics Human cloning and human dignity: an ethical inquiry. Washington, DC. US Government Printing Office, 2002.
Brock DW. Is a consensus possible on stem cell research? Moral and political obstacles. J Med Ethics. 2006;32(1):36–42.
Warren M. Moral Status: Obligations to Persons and Other Living Things. Oxford University Press (2000). Retrieved 22 Nov 2019, from https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198250401.001.0001/acprof-9780198250401.
Orr R. The moral status of the embryonal stem cell: inherent or imputed? Am J Bioethics 2002;2(1):57–9.
Hudson K, Scott J, Faden R. Values in conflict: Public attitudes on embryonic stem cell research: Genetic and Public Policy Center, 2005.
Wolinsky H. The pendulum swung. President Barack Obama removes restrictions on stem-cell research, but are expectations now too high? EMBO Rep. 2009;10(5):436–9.
Lyerly AD, Faden RR. Willingness to donate frozen embryos for stem cell research. Science. 2007;317(5834):46–7.
Lyerly AD, Steinhauser K, Namey E, Tulsky JA, Cook-Deegan R, Sugarman J, et al. Factors that affect infertility patients’ decisions about disposition of frozen embryos. Fertil Steril. 2006;85(6):1623–30.
National Bioethics Advisory Commission. Research involving human biological materials: ethical issues and policy guidance vRMNBAC. 1999.
Lo B, Chou V, Cedars MI, Gates E, Taylor RN, Wagner RM, et al. Informed consent in human oocyte, embryo, and embryonic stem cell research. Fertil Steril. 2004;82(3):559–63.
Lo B, Parham L. Ethical issues in stem cell research. Endocr Rev. 2009;30(3):204–13.
Kalfoglou AL, Geller G. A follow-up study with oocyte donors exploring their experiences, knowledge, and attitudes about the use of their oocytes and the outcome of the donation. Fertil Steril. 2000;74(4):660–7.
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. Guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. Washington DCNAP. 2005.
Hwang WS, Roh SI, Lee BC, Kang SK, Kwon DK, Kim S, et al. Patient-specific embryonic stem cells derived from human SCNT blastocysts. Science. 2005;308(5729):1777–83.
National Bioethics Committee, Republic of Korea. The National Bioethics Committee’s report on bioethical problems in Hwang Woo-Suk research, Seoul: Bioethics Policy and Research Center, 2006.
Clay AS. Hwang Woo-suk’s Use of Human Eggs for Research 2002–2005. Embryo Project Encyclopedia (2014-08-12) ISSN: 1940–5030. http://www.embryo.asu.edu/handle/10776/8145.
Golan A, Ron-el R, Herman A, Soffer Y, Weinraub Z, Caspi E. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: an update review. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 1989;44(6):430–40.
Schenker JG, Weinstein D. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome: a current survey. Fertil Steril. 1978;30(3):255–68.
Cluroe AD, Synek BJ. A fatal case of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome with cerebral infarction. Pathology. 1995;27(4):344–6.
Semba S, Moriya T, Youssef EM, Sasano H. An autopsy case of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome with massive pulmonary edema and pleural effusion. Pathol Int. 2000;50(7):549–52.
Ward R, Krugman S, Giles JP, Jacobs AM, Bodansky O. Infectious hepatitis; studies of its natural history and prevention. N Engl J Med. 1958;258(9):407–16.
Krugman S, Ward R, Giles JP, Bodansky O, Jacobs AM. Infectious hepatitis: detection of virus during the incubation period and in clinically inapparent infection. N Engl J Med. 1959;261:729–34.
World Medical Association (WMA). 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. Amended by the WMA 52nd General Assembly 2000, Edinburgh.
Ballantyne A, de Lacey S. Wanted—egg donors for research: a research ethics approach to donor recruitment and compensation. Int J Feminist Appr Bioeth. 2008;1(2):145–64.
Pearson H. Health effects of egg donation may take decades to emerge. Nature. 2006;442(7103):607–8.
Klitzman R, Sauer MV. Payment of egg donors in stem cell research in the USA. Reprod Biomed Online. 2009;18(5):603–8.
National Academy of Sciences. The National Academies’ guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. The National Academies Press; Washington, DC: 2005 Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11278.html.
National Academy of Sciences. Amendments to the National Academies’ guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. The National Academies Press; Washington, DC: 2007 Available at: http://www.books.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=11871#toc.
National Academy of Sciences. Amendments to the National Academies’ guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. The National Academies Press; Washington, DC: 2008 Available at http://www.nap.edu/catalogphp?record_id=12260.
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Guidance for CIRM medical and ethical standards regulations governing donation of oocytes for CIRM-funded research. 2008. Available at: http://www.cirm.ca.gov/workgroups/pdf/Guidance_Donation_Oocytes.pdf.
Beeson D, Lippman A. Egg harvesting for stem cell research: medical risks and ethical problems. Reprod Biomed Online. 2006;13(4):573–9.
BBC News 2006. Available at: http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6171083.stm.
Camporesi S, Boniolo G. Fearing a non-existing Minotaur? The ethical challenges of research on cytoplasmic hybrid embryos. J Med Ethics. 2008;34(11):821–5.
Milliez J. Ethical guidelines concerning cytoplasmic animal–human hybrid embryos. Int J Gynecol Obstet. 2009;107(2):167.
Beyhan Z, Iager AE, Cibelli JB. Interspecies nuclear transfer: implications for embryonic stem cell biology. Cell Stem Cell. 2007;1(5):502–12.
Leeper NJ, Hunter AL, Cooke JP. Stem cell therapy for vascular regeneration: adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Circulation. 2010;122(5):517–26.
Narazaki G, Uosaki H, Teranishi M, Okita K, Kim B, Matsuoka S, et al. Directed and systematic differentiation of cardiovascular cells from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells. Circulation. 2008;118(5):498–506.
Yamahara K, Sone M, Itoh H, Yamashita JK, Yurugi-Kobayashi T, Homma K, et al. Augmentation of neovascularization [corrected] in hindlimb ischemia by combined transplantation of human embryonic stem cells-derived endothelial and mural cells. PLoS One. 2008;3(2):e1666.
Li Z, Wu JC, Sheikh AY, Kraft D, Cao F, Xie X, et al. Differentiation, survival, and function of embryonic stem cell derived endothelial cells for ischemic heart disease. Circulation. 2007;116(11 Suppl):I46–54.
Okawa T, Kamiya H, Himeno T, Kato J, Seino Y, Fujiya A, et al. Transplantation of neural crest-like cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells improves diabetic polyneuropathy in mice. Cell Transplant. 2013;22(10):1767–83.
President’s Council on Bioethics (US). Alternative sources of human pluripotent stem cells: a white paper of the President’s Council on Bioethics. President’s Council on Bioethics, 2005.
Chen L, Mizutani A, Kasai T, Yan T, Jin G, Vaidyanath A, et al. Mouse induced pluripotent stem cell microenvironment generates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in mouse Lewis lung cancer cells. Am J Cancer Res. 2014;4(1):80–8.
Kou Z, Kang L, Yuan Y, Tao Y, Zhang Y, Wu T, et al. Mice cloned from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Biol Reprod. 2010;83(2):238–43.
Frazzetto G. Embryos, cells and god. EMBO Rep. 2004;5(6):553–5.
Bruce DM. Stem cells, embryos and cloning–unravelling the ethics of a knotty debate. J Mol Biol. 2002;319(4):917–25.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Batra, R.K. (2021). The Ethical Challenges of Stem Cell Therapy in Vascular Disorders. In: Navarro, T.P., Minchillo Lopes, L.L.N., Dardik, A. (eds) Stem Cell Therapy for Vascular Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56954-9_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56954-9_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-56953-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-56954-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)