Is the Great Stem Cell Debate Over?

BioEdge  Michael Cook Oct 31, 2015

It’s a sign of the times.

Ten years ago, the single most controversial issue in bioethics was probably the use of human embryonic stem cells. Since these can only be obtained by destroying human embryos, nearly every Western legislature had noisy and bitter debates. But all that died away soon after Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka developed induced pluripotent stem cells, which apparently have all the potential of embryonic cells …

Scientists Convert Skin Cells into Placenta-Generating Cells

Science Daily  Hebrew University of  Jersusalem  Oct 14, 2015

Regenerative medicine is a new and expanding area that aims to replace lost or damaged cells, tissues or organs in the human body through cellular transplantation. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells that are capable of long-term growth, self-renewal, and can give rise to every cell, tissue and organ in the fetus’s body. Thus, ESCs hold great promise for cell therapy as a source of …

UN Panel Calls for Moratorium on Editing Human Genome

Michael Cook  BioEdge  Oct 8, 2015

Warning that rapid advances in genetics make “designer babies” an increasing possibility, a United Nations panel today called for a moratorium on “editing” the human genome, pending wider public debate lest changes in DNA be transmitted to future generations or foster eugenics.

While acknowledging the therapeutic value of genetic interventions, the panel stressed that the process raises serious concerns, especially if the editing of the human genome should be …