[Ethical principles in research related to regenerative therapy]

Recently published data on the function and properties of stem cells are examined and analyzed. This knowledge enhances our understanding of human development: stem cells follow a precise hierarchical pattern both in time and space, and they are part of the symbiosis of fetus and mother. The data do not support the idea of the existence of an early stage of the embryo development lacking a personal character. It has been suggested that an early embryo lacks an entity of sufficient ontological autonomy, which would be acquired with organogenesis at later stages. It is an ethical commitment of the scientific community to provide serious and precise information about the advances, problems and solutions involved an regenerative therapy. The use of autologous or heterologous human cells in this field demands of rules which determine their use and commercial potential. The induced reprogramming of adult cells to an embryonic stage (iPS) opens up new important perspectives both in basic research and for clinical treatments. The ethical commitment of Yamanaka, developer of this technology, with regard to its use in clinical treatments, is an example of the researcher's responsibility of the researcher, and, at the same time, an illustration of how that science may render a service to mankind only through ethical principles.