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Ethical Issues in Developmental Biology

Research

Presented ByAROGUNDADE, Tolulope Timothy

08/46KA015Lecturer: Dr. Omotosho 1

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Overvi

ew

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•Introduction•Definition of Terms•Brief History on Ethics•Key Tensions in Developmental biology Research• Human Biological Material for Research• Human Reproductive Technologies• The Onset of Human Life• Human-animal Hybrids

•Conclusion•References

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Introduction

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“…Nor shall any man's entreaty prevail upon me to administer poison to anyone; neither will I counsel any man to do so. Moreover, I will get no sort of medicine to any pregnant woman, with a view to destroy the child.Further, I will comport myself and use my knowledge in a godly manner.Whatsoever house I may enter, my visit shall be for the convenience and advantage of the patient;...If I faithfully observe this oath, may I thrive and prosper in my fortune and profession, and live in the estimation of posterity; or on breach thereof, may the reverse be my fate!”

The Hippocratic Oath

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

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Ethics: The principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual of a social group/profession. It governs appropriate conduct.

Bioethics: The branch of ethics that studies moral values in biomedical research

Developmental Biology: This is the branch of biology that studies the growth and development of organisms.

(Advanced English Dictionary)

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KEY TENSIONS IN DEVELOPMENTAL

BIOLOGY RESEARCH

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• Use of Human Biological Material for Research• Human Reproductive Technologies• The Onset of Human Life• Anti-ageing Research• Human-animal Hybrids• Genetic manipulation

(Berger, 2003)

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BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL FOR RESEARCH

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Stem Cells•Stem cells are unique cells that are undifferentiated and have the ability to self-replicate indefinitely.

•Stem cell research has the potential to provide an increased understanding of development and differentiation, as well as leading to treatments and cures for many diseases.

(Lakshmipathy et al., 2005)

05/01/2023 7Source: Google images

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Stem Cells (Cont’d)

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•Three types of stem cells:• Embryonic stem cells (ESC)• Fetal stem cells• Adult stem cells

•Three main sources:• Adult bone marrow• Miscarried or aborted embryos/fetus; extra embryos

left over from IVF• Embryos from therapeutic cloning

ESC is most promising for treatment, and therapeutic cloning can avoid the problem of immunological incompatibility.

(Bongso et al., 2004)

(Testa et al., 2005)

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Ethical Issues on Stem Cells

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• Destroying an embryo to harvest ESC is equivalent to killing a child to obtain his organs.

• Left-over from IVF are already there.

• How about the wellbeing of many patients who may be cured by ESC research?

(Berger, 2003)

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BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL FOR RESEARCH

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Cloning

•Two techniques:• Embryo splitting• Nuclear substitution

•cloning is the production of genetically identical organisms.

(American Medical Association)

•Therapeutic and Reproductive cloning

(Kfoury, 2007)

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Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_ocr_gateway/living_growing/cloningrev3.shtml

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•Nuclear Substitution• What is the relationship between the nuclear donor and the

clone?• The same person?• (Technologically-aided and birth delayed) identical twins?• Siblings?• Parent-child?

• Should a homosexual be allowed to use the technology to obtain his/her own child?

•Embryo splitting• The clone is usually used for tests of abnormality, and

will be destroyed subsequently.

Ethical Issues on Cloning

(Pence et al., 1998)

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Ethical Issues on Cloning (Cont’d)

• Is it morally alright for parents to clone their beloved children who die young?

• Should it be used as an infertility treatment or gene therapy if it is safe?

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HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

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• Artificial insemination by husband (AIH)• Artificial insemination by donor (AID)• In vitro fertilization (IVF)• Egg donation• Embryo donation• Surrogacy

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HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

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Ethical Considerations• Procreation rights of infertile couples• It is unnatural• Inequality and exploitation• Selling babies?• The moral status of extra embryos left over from

IVF• Definition of parent-child relation• Integrity of the family• Best interests of the child

(Tao et al., 2006)

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THE ONSET OF HUMAN LIFE

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•The conflict concerning the definition of the onset of the human being has two limits: it startseither (i) after the birth of a viable child or(ii) after the nuclear syngamy in the zygote.

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HUMAN-ANIMAL HYBRID RESEARCH

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Source: Google images

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Ethical Issues on Chimeras

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• fundamental 'right to exist' possessed by each animal species.

Mott et al., 2005

•an ethical 'crime against humanity.’

•Some transhumanists have seen possible human-modifying technologies as one of many ways to overcome fundamental human limitations that currently cause suffering, such as disease and aging, and pointed out the many potential commercial and medical benefits from fully realized para-human experimentation.

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CONCLUSION

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•The aim of ethics is to identify principles of right action that can guide us in thinking about what we may do, what we must do, and what we must refrain from doing.

•Ethical conflicts of interest in developmental biology represent the greatest part of current bioethics.

• Both the ends and the means of science demand ethical scrutiny and ultimately public oversight.

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REFERENCES

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•Tao, Julia, “What’s wrong with creating designer babies?”, in Julia Tao and Hektor H T Yan (eds), Meaning of life. Singapore: McGraw Hill Education, 2006, pp. 317-335.

•Veatch, Robert M. The Basics of Bioethics 2nd ed., Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2003.

•Berger J.: Ethical conflicts of interest in modern biomedicine? J. Appl. Biomed. 1: 181–182, 2003.

•Combes R.D.: The use of human cells in biomedical research and testing. ATLA 32: Suppl 1A, 43–49, 2004.

•Bongso A., Richards M.: History and perspective of stem cell research. Best Pract. Clin. Obst. Gynaecol. 18: 827–842, 2004.

•Testa G., Harris J.: Ethics and synthetic gametes. Bioethics 19: 146–166, 2005.

•Lakshmipathy U., Verfaillie C.: Stem cell plasticity. Blood Rev. 19: 29–38, 2005.

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING

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