TY - JOUR
T1 - Embryonic stem-cell gametes
T2 - The new frontier in human reproduction
AU - Master, Zubin
N1 - Funding Information:
Salary support was provided through the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Ethics of Health Research and Policy program and the Stem Cell Network, a Network Centre of Excellence. I would like to thank members of the Novel Technologies Ethics team, colleagues at the Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University and the Centre for Applied Ethics at the University of British Columbia for valuable feedback. Thanks to Dr Kathy Hudson at the Genetics and Public Policy Center for inspiration. This article is dedicated to Mrs N. Patel and Dr D.J. Dumont.
PY - 2006/4
Y1 - 2006/4
N2 - As infertility increases and gamete donations decline, an alternate source of sex cells may prove valuable for research and infertility treatment. This article examines the social and scientific value of gametes derived from the differentiation of established human embryonic stem (ES)-cell lines (ES-cell-derived gametes) and customized gametes created using nuclear transfer technologies to contain a haploid set of genes creating children genetically related to parent(s). ES-cell-derived gametes may be valuable as a resource for biomedical research, instruction and training in assisted reproductive technologies and perhaps for creating children. The creation of children by ES-cell-derived and customized gametes may not result in psychological harm to children but customized gametes may lead to physical harm to children or an accumulation of gene mutations in a population. Although the creation of new types of children using ES-cell gametes provides more reproductive choices to both fertile and infertile individuals, the risk or physical harm to children from customized gametes may be so severe that the scope of reproductive liberty must be limited. Further scientific and ethical analysis of the creation of children by ES-cell gametes is required.
AB - As infertility increases and gamete donations decline, an alternate source of sex cells may prove valuable for research and infertility treatment. This article examines the social and scientific value of gametes derived from the differentiation of established human embryonic stem (ES)-cell lines (ES-cell-derived gametes) and customized gametes created using nuclear transfer technologies to contain a haploid set of genes creating children genetically related to parent(s). ES-cell-derived gametes may be valuable as a resource for biomedical research, instruction and training in assisted reproductive technologies and perhaps for creating children. The creation of children by ES-cell-derived and customized gametes may not result in psychological harm to children but customized gametes may lead to physical harm to children or an accumulation of gene mutations in a population. Although the creation of new types of children using ES-cell gametes provides more reproductive choices to both fertile and infertile individuals, the risk or physical harm to children from customized gametes may be so severe that the scope of reproductive liberty must be limited. Further scientific and ethical analysis of the creation of children by ES-cell gametes is required.
KW - Assisted human reproduction
KW - Embryonic stem cells
KW - Nuclear transfer
KW - Reproductive liberty
KW - Scientific and social value
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U2 - 10.1093/humrep/dei430
DO - 10.1093/humrep/dei430
M3 - Article
C2 - 16361285
AN - SCOPUS:33645280872
SN - 0268-1161
VL - 21
SP - 857
EP - 863
JO - Human Reproduction
JF - Human Reproduction
IS - 4
ER -