Stem-cell researchers must stay engaged

摘要

Last month, news ricocheted around the world that reproductive biologist Shoukhrat Mitalipov and his colleagues at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland had used cloned human embryos to produce stem-cell lines specific to individual patients. Although critics have since raised some problems with the paper, a preliminary enquiry indicates that the conclusions of the work still stand (see Nature http://doi.org/mnk; 2013). This formidable technical feat is potentially a key step towards developing replacement tissues to treat disease. Media coverage of the paper has also rekindled long-standing controversies about human cloning, the use of human eggs and the destruction of human embryos. The achievement is a timely reminder that scientists must remain actively engaged in discussions about the ethics of using human embryos for research in cell biology and regenerative medicine.