Stem cell-derived embryo models
Moral advance or moral obfuscation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21515329 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christopher Gyngell (0000-0002-1340-3947, The University of Melbourne, corresponding author), Fiona Lynch (0000-0002-6386-6739, The University of Melbourne), Tsutomu Sawai (0000-0002-3806-0573, Hiroshima University), Julian Savulescu (0000-0003-1691-6403, National University of Singapore) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 361-364 |
| Publication date | 2025-06-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Medical Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-6800 • E-ISSN: 1473-4257 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/jme-2023-109605 |
| PMID | 38429089 |
| OpenAlex | W4392361553 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 26 |
Stem cell-derived embryo models (SCEMs) are model embryos used in scientific research to gain a better understanding of early embryonic development. The way humans develop from a single-cell zygote to a complex multicellular organism remains poorly understood. However, research looking at embryo development is difficult because of restrictions on the use of human embryos in research. Stem cell embryo models could reduce the need for human embryos, allowing us to both understand early development and improve assisted reproductive technologies. There have been several rapid advances in creating SCEMs in recent years. These advances potentially provide a new avenue to study early human development. The benefits of SCEMs are predicated on the claim that they are different from embryos and should, therefore, be exempt from existing regulations that apply to embryos (such as the 14-day rule). SCEMs are proposed as offering a model that can capture the inner workings of the embryo but lack its moral sensitivities. However, the ethical basis for making this distinction has not been clearly explained. In this current controversy, we focus on the ethical justification for treating SCEMs differently to embryos, based on considerations of moral status
Biology · Cell · Embryo · Embryogenesis · Embryonic stem cell · Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Multicellular organism · Stem cell · Zygote · Biomedical Ethics and Regulation · Engineering · Philosophy · Pluripotent Stem Cells Research · Renal and related cancers · Cell Biology · Genetics
Good bioethics and a good bioethicist
On the moral (in)equivalence of human embryos and stem cell-derived embryo models
Embryo models and the regulatory void
Moral equivalence and the grounds of moral status in stem cell-derived embryo models
Is the integrated/non-integrated distinction for embryo models really obsolete
| Citations per year | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |