Use of umbilical cord blood for stem cell research.

Umbilical cord blood (UCB), long treated as waste material, is today considered a valuable source of hematopoietic stem cells. UCB is used, mostly in children, for the treatment of blood malignancies and inherited blood and metabolic disorders. In addition to blood precursor cells, UCB also contains stem cells that can differentiate into other types, such as cartilage, fat, hepatic, cardiac, and neural cells, fuelling speculation about the use of cord blood stem cells for regenerative medicine. Further research is therefore needed to investigate the expanded potential of UCB and its therapeutic use in cell and tissue therapies. According to a recent survey, practices for the procurement of UCB for research vary widely across Canada, so this area may not yet be ready for uniform regulation. However, some harmonization of practices to increase the availability of UCB for research would be useful for Canadian investigators. In this article, we address several important ethical and legal issues relating to the use of UCB in research and recommend guidelines to serve as a source of useful information for researchers. While their legal acceptability may vary across Canada, it is hoped that these recommendations foster more harmonized UCB research practices.

The human embryo: ethical and legal aspects.

This paper analyses the status of the embryo in Canadian law. First, a brief overview of some ethical issues raised by research with embryos, focusing on the moral status of the embryo, is presented. A survey of the regulatory framework applicable to embryo research in Canada follows, so as to delineate the legal status of the embryo in Canada and its ethical underpinnings. A summary of applicable regulation in Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States is also undertaken, illustrating the lack of consensus on this issue in Western countries. Finally, recent developments in stem cell research are considered, focusing on current alternatives to embryo destruction.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis: an overview of socio-ethical and legal considerations.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) permits the selection of embryos of a particular genotype prior to implantation. As a reproductive technology involving embryo selection, PGD has become associated with considerable controversy. This review examines some of the ethical, legal, and social issues raised by PGD. Relevant ethical considerations include the status of the embryo and the interests and duties of the parents. On a social policy level, considerations of access as well as the impact of this technology on families, women, and physician's duties also warrant consideration. An analysis of these issues in the context of using PGD for selecting embryos unaffected by a serious disorder and for sex selection is presented. We also present a brief survey of PGD-related regulatory schemes in several countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.