Academic Review 2024

69 ACADEMIC REVIEW 2024

genetic mutations which cause chronic disease and affect day-to-day life (Petljak & Alexandrov, 2017). However, the ability to edit totipotent or pluripotent embryonic stem cells so that a foetus exhibits a particular characteristic, for example a specific eye colour, may cause issues to arise in the future. There are many new clinical trials currently under way to investigate the use of stem cells to treat chronic diseases such as diabetes, macular degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease but also to Conclusion This essay set out to discuss the ethical issues surrounding embryonic stem cell therapy compared to adult and induced pluripotent stem cell therapy. The definition of ethics was put forward to link all points back to a singular definition. Different points of views were expressed, each with its own quotes and points of evidence to back-up each viewpoint throughout the essay. Firstly, it was discussed how embryonic stem cells are obtained and the ethical issues that are raised as the cells are extracted from a blastocyst. The points that were discussed relate to the differing viewpoints of the destruction of the oocyte, thus terminating a potential life. I have outlined the laws and conditions surrounding embryonic stem cell research that ensure that care and respect are shown. Furthermore, the multiple benefits of embryonic stem cells were shown due to their pluripotent properties that allow them to differentiate into virtually any cell type. It can be argued that the positives outweigh the costs as the unused embryos from IVF treatments would be destroyed, and stem cell research gives them a valuable purpose to aid science. Secondly, the use of adult stem cells was explained and compared to embryonic stem cell therapies. The properties of adult stem cells were detailed, and it was determined that even though they do not have the same pluripotent properties as embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells still hold potential for understanding different diseases and potential prospects for the future of genetic modification. It was shown that the ethical issues of using adult stem cells are less contentious as it does not involve the destruction of an embryo.

treat other acute conditions, for example to repair heart tissue damaged by a heart attack (Kooner, 2019). Given the infancy of all these treatments it is impossible to predict what the outcome will be, but once advances are made in the treatment of one condition the knowledge gained will have a domino effect on all other research. It can be argued that these new advances will make all stem cell therapy ethically viable as all the research is being carried out ultimately to improve people’s lives. Also examined were the uses and ethical issues of induced pluripotent stem cell therapy. I looked at the process of genetic reprogramming, but also the downsides of the treatment, such as cancer. Like adult stem cells, iPS cells do not necessitate the destruction of a human embryo so do not carry as many ethical issues. However, there is a lot of debate about the ethical issues relating to the animal testing that is frequently involved with iPS cell research. iPS cell therapies have not been as researched as the other sources of stem cells due to iPS cells’ complex nature and the very high costs of genetically reprogramming cells. Finally, the future of stem cell therapies was outlined to highlight the benefits and negatives. Ethical issues may arise due to the exploitation of genetic modification of stem cells. However, multiple laws are currently being established to prevent this potential problem. The future holds great promise for all forms of stem cells, and the majority of scientists agree that the work bring carried out on stem cells will improve many fields of science. Overall, it can be argued that each source of stem cells holds its own purpose in the field of science. The magnitude of the ethical issues that surround the treatments depends on differing religious and moral values. It is widely agreed that embryonic stem cells do hold the most potential for research compared to other sources of stem cells but are the most ethically controversial. With time, new research may yield a more ethically acceptable source of stem cells, for instance further testing on the efficacy of iPS cells. Stem cell therapies will always have a range of issues surrounding them but it is up to every scientist, cell donor and recipient of the cells to make up their own minds and to consider if the potential benefits outweigh the ethical, religious, and financial considerations.