• Question: As there are ethical issues with embryonic stem cell research, what do you think the best approach to getting around the problem would be and why ?

    Asked by theconman to Anzy, Aoife, Dave, Matt, Tomasz on 12 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: David Christensen

      David Christensen answered on 12 Nov 2013:

      The problem is that some people believe we should not use embryonic stem cells and some people think we should. Our government has decided to side with people who think it is ok to use embryonic stem cells in research and allows scientists to do experiments with embryonic stem cells. There are a lot of regulations to make sure that the experiments are useful and important, but this does not help the people who think no work should be done with embryonic stem cells. There is almost no way to get around this problem with embryonic stem cells as we can either use them or we can’t and not everyone will be happy whatever is decided.

      But, induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells, could replace embryonic stem cells in research as they are very very similar. For now though, we need to do research on iPS cells and embryonic stem cells so that we know we can make iPS cells that are almost identical to embryonic stem cells so that they can be a replacement in the future.

      Thanks for the good question!

    • Photo: Aoife O'Shaughnessy-Kirwan

      Aoife O'Shaughnessy-Kirwan answered on 12 Nov 2013:

      As David has said, it’s been decided that in the UK we can actually do embryonic stem cell research and personally (whilst I may be biased) I do think that’s the right decision. There are only a small number of human ES cell lines currently in use, and used by scientists across the globe. This means that only a small number of embryos were used to make them, embryos which would have otherwise probably been destroyed. Also it’s important to remember that at the stage the cells are taken the embryo is just a teeny tiny ball of cells with no structure. So overall whilst it may make people feel uncomfortable it really is properly controlled and the good which may come from the research means this is a discomfort the government etc are willing to put up with.

    • Photo: Matthew Tomlinson

      Matthew Tomlinson answered on 14 Nov 2013:

      I think Dave and Aoife make some great points. Personally I think induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) and adult stem cells, like those from bone marrow, umbilical cord and fat are the answers to the ethical debate. I think iPS cells will be very useful for studying different diseases and how they work and maybe they could be used in the future as a source of stem cells for treatment. This would be great because they have the advantage of not being recognised by the immune system, which is a problem embryonic stem cells have.

      For now though I think using adult stem cells seems like the best way forward. These cells don’t need any changes to make them into stem cells and if you can take them from the patient then there is no problem with the immune system. Also there is evidence that umbilical cord stem cells can avoid and even control the immune system, which is very useful. These cells might not be able to make every cell in the body, but if you choose the right cell you can make most things.

Comments