Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 5, 2026
07:48
Working with Human Tissues for Translational Cancer Research
Published on: November 26, 2015
10.4K
Ethical considerations in tissue engineering research: Case studies in translation.
Hannah B Baker1, John P McQuilling1, Nancy M P King2
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 391 Technology Way, Winston-Salem, NC 27103, United States.
Methods (San Diego, Calif.)
|August 19, 2015
Summary
Ethical considerations in tissue engineering are complex, spanning from basic research to clinical trials. This review guides investigators through these challenges for improved knowledge and patient treatments.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Translational Science
- Bioethics
Background:
- Tissue engineering research involves complex ethical considerations throughout the translational pathway, from bench to bedside.
- Investigators act as moral agents at each research stage, influencing knowledge gains and treatment improvements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight ethical considerations and challenges in tissue engineering research across different translational stages.
- To compare ethical issues in developing a bioartificial pancreas and engineered skeletal muscle.
Main Methods:
- Review of ethical issues at bench, preclinical, and clinical research stages.
- Comparative analysis of two distinct tissue engineering technologies: bioartificial pancreas and engineered skeletal muscle.
Main Results:
- Identified ethical considerations at the bench level: data integrity, results dissemination, and study design.
- Highlighted preclinical ethical issues: "modest translational distance" and appropriate animal models.
- Discussed clinical research ethics: patient selection, uncertainty disclosure, and defining success.
Conclusions:
- Translational tissue engineering research presents multifaceted ethical challenges.
- Provides guidance for investigators developing tissue engineering technologies by examining specific case studies.
