Is the integrated/non-integrated distinction for embryo models really obsolete

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21514692
AutoresHafez Ismaili M’hamdi (0000-0002-5559-2694, School for Care and Public Health Research (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands, autor de correspondencia)
Año2025
Páginasjme-2025-111245
Fecha de publicación2025-09-03
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Medical Ethics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0306-6800 • E-ISSN: 1473-4257
EditorialBMJ (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1136/jme-2025-111245
PMID40903217
OpenAlexW4413973340
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas14

Stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) offer new ways for studying early human development while circumventing ethical challenges associated with natural embryos. Traditionally, SCBEMs are categorised as ‘integrated’ or ‘non-integrated’, reflecting their capacity for coordinated development and potential to acquire morally relevant properties. However, the Code of Practice challenges this distinction, arguing that non-integrated SCBEMs can reach stages of significant developmental complexity, making the classification obsolete. This paper critiques the abandonment of the integrated/non-integrated framework. I argue that the distinction is tied, rightfully so, to developmental potential rather than structural complexity. For the ethical oversight of embryo models, the potential to develop morally relevant properties and thus the integrated/non-integrated distinction remains relevant

Data science · Engineering ethics · Epistemology · Ethical issues · Integrated information theory · Political science · Sociology · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation · Computer Science · Engineering · Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare · Law · Philosophy · Pluripotent Stem Cells Research