Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 3, 2026
05:08
Targeted and Selective Treatment of Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Teratomas Using External Beam Radiation in a Small-animal Model
Published on: February 17, 2019
5.4K
[Bioethical challenges of stem cell tourism].
Revista Medica De Chile
|January 23, 2014
Summary
Stem cell therapies offer hope for incurable diseases but face ethical challenges. Unproven treatments and stem cell tourism exploit patients, necessitating global regulation for legitimate research.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical research
- Regenerative medicine
- Bioethics
Context:
- Stem cells hold promise for treating diseases.
- Embryonic stem cell production raises ethical concerns.
- Clinical application of all stem cell types presents bioethical issues.
Purpose:
- To review the ethical challenges in stem cell therapy.
- To address the issue of stem cell tourism.
- To highlight the need for international regulation.
Summary:
- Stem cell research offers therapeutic potential but faces ethical dilemmas, particularly regarding embryonic stem cells.
- Clinical use requires rigorous trials and medical innovation, with inherent ethical considerations.
- Unproven stem cell therapies offered by unregulated clinics lead to stem cell tourism, exploiting vulnerable patients.
Impact:
- Unfounded media expectations exacerbate patient and public misconceptions.
- Stem cell tourism exploits desperate patients and risks discrediting legitimate research.
- International cooperation is crucial to establish regulations, protect patients, and uphold research integrity.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Stem Cell Therapy for Tissue Regeneration
3.8K
Stem cell therapy is a method used in regenerative medicine to repair and restore function to damaged tissues and organs. Stem cells have the potential to proliferate and differentiate into various tissue types, making them ideal candidates for tissue regeneration. For example, hematopoietic stem cell transplants are commonly used in blood cancer treatment to replenish damaged bone marrow and restore healthy blood cells.
Types of Stem Cells used in Stem Cell Therapy
The two main cell...
Types of Stem Cells used in Stem Cell Therapy
The two main cell...
3.8K
01:17Stem Cell Culture
4.5K
Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...
4.5K
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
4.5K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
4.5K
00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
25.8K
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
25.8K
01:28Forced Transdifferentiation
1.5K
Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, was first discovered by Selman and Kafatos in 1974 in silkmoths. They observed that the moths’ cuticle-producing cells transformed into salt-producing cells. Many such cases of natural transdifferentiation occur in organisms. In humans, pancreatic alpha cells can become beta cells. In newts, the loss of the eye’s lens causes the pigmented epithelial cells to transdifferentiate into the lens cells.
Artificial...
Artificial...
1.5K
01:33Adult Stem Cells
27.8K
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce more stem cells or progenitor cells that differentiate into mature, specialized cell types. All the cells in the body are generated from stem cells in the early embryo, but small populations of stem cells are also present in many adult tissues including the bone marrow, brain, skin, and gut. These adult stem cells typically produce the various cell types found in that tissue—to replace cells that are damaged or to continuously...
27.8K