Mass Production of Human “Embryoid” Cells from Developmentally Frozen Embryos: Is It Ethical?

Ethical, legal, regulatory, and policy issues concerning embryoids: a systematic review of the literature

“…Monash Bioeth Rev. 202,038(2):166–80 [ 65 ] Pullicino P, Richard EJ, Burke WJ. Mass Production of Human “Embryoid” Cells from Developmentally Frozen Embryos: Is It Ethical?…”

“…Another issue that draws on the connection between embryo and embryoid research was the observation that embryoid research could raise the same concerns that human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research raises insofar as both involve embryo destruction ( n = 2) [ 28 , 68 ]. A final set of issues regarding the ethical significance of embryoids was the question of whether they are clones and, if so, what concerns that might raise ( n = 10) [ 21 , 39 , 45 , 48 , 52 , 53 , 61 , 62 , 65 , 69 ].…”

“…Several publications indicated that embryoid research motivates revisiting the 14-day rule ( n = 6) [ 18 , 41 , 49 , 54 , 62 , 64 ] or has implications for the 14-day rule ( n = 4) [ 18 , 27 , 41 , 54 ] that has governed human embryo research for more than 40 years. Two publications noted that future decisions regarding embryoid research oversight or regulation could have implications for other types of stem cell research [ 65 , 67 ]. Finally, several publications noted the many different definitions of embryos and fetuses used in existing policies, guidelines, laws, and regulations, and authors suggested that embryoid research points to the need to revisit those definitions ( n = 9) [ 41 , 45 , 46 , 55 , 57 , 60 , 62 , 64 , 67 ].…”

Human–Animal Chimera Formation for Organ Transplantation: Subjugating Human Embryonic Development to Animal Control

“…As we recently pointed out (Pullicino et al 2020, 349) PSCs that are inserted into an embryonic blastocyst and thereby given access to a human placenta and umbilical cord, are ontologically the same as human embryos as they could develop into a living human infant. The use of hEPSCs, a form of hPSC, to produce chimeras is therefore problematic because it causes the destruction of embryonic life by hijacking human embryonic cells, subjecting them to developmental control inside an animal embryo with serious consequences to human dignity.…”

“…If this procedure were applied to adult human skin cells, it could produce hPSCs. We have shown that the hPSC is ontologically a single-cell embryo and the moral equivalent of the human zygote (Pullicino et al 2020, 349). Another type of hPSC that is now assuming a central role in chimera formation for the production of transplant organs are human extended pluripotent stem cells (hEPSC) (Yang et al 2017, 243; Tan et al 2021, 2020).…”