Stem Cells Research: Therapeutic Potentials and Ethical Issues from Islamic Perspective

The advancement in human stem cell research has promised a viable alternative treatment for a range of ‘incurable diseases’ such as neurological diseases. To date, several studies have documented substantial evidences on the therapeutic properties of stem cells in promoting repair in different diseases including common neurological disorders i.e. ischaemic stroke and spinal cord injury. However, the progress of stem cell research has been surrounded by ethical issues which largely due to the usage of human embryos as one of the sources. These embryonic stem cells which originally derived from human embryo of aborted foetus or already existing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) lines, has sparked an intense moral and religious argument among people of various faith, including Muslim community. From the therapeutic point of view, amongst the currently available stem cells, hESCs show the greatest potential for the broadest range of cell replacement therapies and are regarded as the most commercially viable. This review focuses on the major ethical issues, particularly to Muslim community, related to human embryonic stem cells research with special emphasis on the moral status of the embryo and the beginning of life according to the Islamic ethics and rulings. In this paper, we also discuss some ethical positions towards embryonic stem cell research in the Islamic world, including official regulations existing in some Muslim countries. We examine the justification and the necessity on the usage of hESCs following the newly discovered Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs) in the laboratory. In addition, we supplement the discussions with the general views and positions from the other two Abrahamic religions i.e. Christianity and Judaism.

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Why Ethical Qualms over Human Embryonic Stem Cells Are No Longer Relevant: An Analysis of the Evolving Public Discourse and Regulatory Context for Stem Cell Research in Canada

Stammzellen - iPS-Zellen - Genomeditierung. Stem Cells - iPS Cells - Genome Editing ◽

10.5771/9783845291901-109 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 109-124

Author(s):

Kalina Kamenova

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell Research ◽

Public Discourse ◽

Embryonic Stem

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Ethics in stem cell research

Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics ◽

10.3329/bioethics.v3i1.10867 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 13-18

Author(s):

Md Fakruddin

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cell ◽

Stem Cell Research ◽

Human Embryonic Stem Cell ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Cell Types ◽

Embryonic Stem Cell Research ◽

Human Embryos

Stem cells have constituted a revolution in regenerative medicine and cancer therapies by providing the possibility of generating multiple therapeutically useful cell types that could be used for treating some of genetic and degenerative disorders. However, human embryonic stem cell research raises few ethical and political controversies because of its involvement in destruction of human embryos. The ethical issues in human embryonic stem cell research encompasses not only with question of the ethics of destroying human embryos, but also with questions about complicity of researchers in destruction of embryos, moral distinction between creating embryos for research purposes and creating them for reproductive ends and the permissibility of cloning human embryos to harvest stem cells. Bangladesh should formulate its own regulations justifying its stand regarding this matter. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bioethics.v3i1.10867 Bangladesh Journal of Bioethics 2012; 3(1):13-18

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Stem cell research: immortality or a healthy old age?

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/eje.0.151u007 ◽

2004 ◽

pp. U7-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

C Mummery

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell Research ◽

Adult Stem Cells ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Basic Research ◽

Cell Types ◽

Human Embryos ◽

The Media

Stem cell research holds the promise of treatments for many disorders resulting from disease or trauma where one or at most a few cell types have been lost or do not function. In combination with tissue engineering, stem cells may represent the greatest contribution to contemporary medicine of the present century. Progress is however being hampered by the debate on the origin of stem cells, which can be derived from human embryos and some adult tissues. Politics, religious beliefs and the media have determined society's current perception of their relative value while the ethical antipathy towards embryonic stem cells, which require destruction of a human embryo for their derivation, has in many countries biased research towards adult stem cells. Many scientists believe this bias may be premature and basic research on both cell types is still required. The media has created confusion about the purpose of stem cell research: treating chronic ailments or striving for immortality. Here, the scientific state of the art on adult and embryonic stem cells is reviewed as a basis for a debate on whether research on embryonic stem cells is ethically acceptable.

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Corrigendum to “p53 is required for etoposide-induced apoptosis of human embryonic stem cells” [Stem Cell Research 1 (2008) 116–128]

Stem Cell Research ◽

10.1016/j.scr.2008.12.001 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 3 (2-3) ◽

pp. 179

Author(s):

C. Grandela ◽

M.F. Pera ◽

S.M. Grimmond ◽

G. Kolle ◽

E.J. Wolvetang

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell Research ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Induced Apoptosis

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Embryoid research calls for reassessment of legal regulations

Stem Cell Research & Therapy ◽

10.1186/s13287-021-02442-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Markus Hengstschläger ◽

Margit Rosner

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Legal Status ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Basic Research ◽

Human Embryos ◽

Human Being ◽

Legal Regulations ◽

Definition Of

AbstractIt is known that in countries, in which basic research on human embryos is in fact prohibited by law, working with imported human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can still be permitted. As long as hESCs are not capable of development into a complete human being, it might be the case that they do not fulfill all criteria of the local definition of an embryo. Recent research demonstrates that hESCs can be developed into entities, called embryoids, which increasingly could come closer to actual human embryos in future. By discussing the Austrian situation, we want to highlight that current embryoid research could affect the prevailing opinion on the legal status of work with hESCs and therefore calls for reassessment of the regulations in all countries with comparable definitions of the embryo.

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Strategy to Establish Embryo-Derived Pluripotent Stem Cells in Cattle

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22095011 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 5011

Author(s):

Daehwan Kim ◽

Sangho Roh

Keyword(s):

Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell ◽

Embryonic Stem Cells ◽

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽

Stem Cell Research ◽

Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽

Embryonic Stem ◽

Culture Conditions ◽

Human Diseases ◽

Induced Pluripotent

Stem cell research is essential not only for the research and treatment of human diseases, but also for the genetic preservation and improvement of animals. Since embryonic stem cells (ESCs) were established in mice, substantial efforts have been made to establish true ESCs in many species. Although various culture conditions were used to establish ESCs in cattle, the capturing of true bovine ESCs (bESCs) has not been achieved. In this review, the difficulty of establishing bESCs with various culture conditions is described, and the characteristics of proprietary induced pluripotent stem cells and extended pluripotent stem cells are introduced. We conclude with a suggestion of a strategy for establishing true bESCs.

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