Walking on Eggcells

By: Alyssa Abonitalla, Andy Garcia-Chavez, Deepak

Vijay, Samantha Welty
 What are stem cells?
● Found in 1981, but derived from
embryos in 1998. ● Many types of stem cells
● Cells with the ability to multiply ○ Embryonic are most
indefinitely which can later common
become specialized under ■ IPS cells
specific conditions. ○ Other types like umbilical,
● These cells have the capability skin, etc.
to replace worn out
or damaged tissue as well as
replace organs.
Embryonic Stem Cell Steps
● Extras from the In Vitro Fertilization are
used by researchers to extract embryonic
stem cells
● Extracted during the blastocyst stage
● Once the cells are extracted they are put
in a cultured dish and under a specific
environment
● Once cells begin to replicate enough cell
lines form and specialized cells then
become tissue and organs.
Embryonic vs. Adult Stem Cells
● Amount of flexibility
● Level of difficulty to grow
● Embryonic stem cells: higher risk = higher potential
Applications of Stem Cell Treatment
● Umbilical cord cells
● Skin cells
● Molar cells
● Heart cells
● Other organs
Legal Stipulations - Domestic
● United States:
○ 2009: Obama lifted an order that limited the funding to support
stem cell research
○ There are few states who have their own research institutes
● Oregon:
○ At OHSU, there is a Stem Cell Center.
■ Goal: regenerative medicine and cell therapy
Legal Stipulations - Foreign
● Switzerland:
○ 2003: Act on Research Involving Embryonic Stem Cells
■ Requires consent of the couple’s embryo for research
to be done
● China:
○ Very unrestrictive policies.
○ Clinical trials with embryonic stem cells starts in China.
■ Injected the cells into the brains of people with
Parkinson’s disease.
■ Age-related blindness targeted. Hopefully replace lost
retinal cells
■ New era of research around the world
Illegal Stipulations - Domestic
● Louisiana
● Maine
● Massachusetts
● Michigan
● Minnesota
● North Dakota
● Pennsylvania
● Rhode Island
● South Dakota
Illegal Stipulations - Foreign
● Germany:
○ 1991: Embryo Protection Act
○ 2002: Stem Cell Act
■ German scientists are not allowed to participate in any international research project that
use post-2002 embryonic cells
● Risk: criminal prosecution
● Austria:
○ 2004: Reproductive Medicine Act
■ Embryonic stem cell research is prohibited
Famous Cases
● 1988: Cord blood stem cells treatment to a patient who had Faconi Amenia as a
child showed no results of having it in the past.
○ Cord blood: comes from umbilical cord and placenta
○ Faconi Amenia: inherited disease that primarily affects the bone marrow
■ Hematopoietic (blood stem cells) which are rare cells typically found in bone marrow
● 18 patients with vision loss had their vision restored with embryonic stem cells.
● Parkinson’s Disease
○ Caused by low levels of dopamine
○ IPS cells - “man-made,” can turn into other cells (like ES cells)
■ Mature cell to embryonic like cell
○ Stem cells can create cells that produce dopamine
Financial Costs - Cons
➔ High Treatment Price
◆ $10,000 stem cell treatment in US
◆ $20K-$100K outside the U.S.
◆ But only costs hospitals $1,000-$2,000
➔ $640 million spent each year for stem cell research (just from NIH)
Financial Costs - Pros
➔ Patients save money for one effective treatment
➔ Hospitals profit
➔ The NIH funds a lot of this research
Religious Beliefs - Cons
➔ Christian belief
◆ Life begins with conception (in Bible)
◆ Stem cell treatments do not begin with conception
◆ Against God’s will to destroy embryo. Never will be ethical
➔ Killing a potential life to save a potential life
➔ Adult stem cells are a better option
Religious Beliefs - Pros
➔ Embryonic cells do not have to die
◆ There are methods to take a few stem cells without destroying the embryo
◆ There are many other types of stem cells that do not require the destruction of potential lives
➔ Jewish/Muslim Beliefs:
◆ Support stem cell research
◆ Embryo is not alive until 40 days after conception
Moral Code - Cons
➔ Hospital corruption
➔ Potentially kills a life
◆ Destroys blastocyst (fertilized egg after 5-6 days) for
research
➔ Human life needs to be respected
➔ People or property?
➔ Destroying many embryos to maybe have a
cure or breakthrough
Moral Code - Pros
➔ Do not need to kill an embryo
➔ Induced pluripotent stem cells have a lot of benefits (and the destruction of
embryos is not necessary)
➔ This is essentially recycling cell’s (no harm done to recipient)
Societal Impact - Cons
➔ Are we taking it too far by cloning?
➔ “Playing God”
➔ Fear that innovation will lead to human downfall
Societal Impact - Pros
➔ Higher life expectancy
➔ Curing many diseases
◆ Alzheimer’s
◆ Parkinson’s
◆ Cardiovascular disease
➔ Adult stem cells have a reduced risk of rejection for transplants
◆ In a sense, recycling your own
Future Implications - Cons
➔ Research is not very definitive (lot of unclear concepts)
◆ No known long-term effects
➔ Embryonic cells have a higher risk of rejection
➔ Who is going to regulate this?
➔ Transplant list wait -- how long will it take to grow an organ.
➔ Unintended consequences
◆ Uncontrolled reproduction like cancer cells
Future Implications - Pros
➔ Past knowledge of embryonic stem cells research can be applicable to the
upcoming pluripotent stem cells.
➔ Shows what stem cells can do such as growing body parts.
➔ Regenerative medicine
Class Discussion
What are some potential consequences of
researching stem cells or having stem cell
treatment?
Is it ethical to use stem cells?
 If a patient had a condition that currently has no
cure, how far would you go to research stem cells, if
given the chance?
Where do you draw the line between stem cell
innovation and bioethics?
Conclusion:
● More research is needed
● Curiosity
● Gray area between ethics and innovation