Treatment of
Embryos
What is an EMBRYO?
"Life is present from the moment of
conception."
Dr. Jerome Lejeune, late professor and world renowned geneticist,
University of Descarte, Paris
Different approaches to how
we view the embryo
No special status whatsoever
A gradualist approach
Full respect as a human being
What ideas drive this lack of
respect for the embryo?
A right to a child
Potentially unlimited cures
Pursuit of knowledge without
boundaries
3 Topics Covered:
IVF Treatment
Stem Cell Research
Cloning
What is
IVF
treatment?
IVF explained…
The woman is
injected with
fertility drugs
to stimulate
the ovaries
Multiple eggs
are produced
(usually
between 1012)
The eggs are
fertilised in
vitro
Between 1 and 2
newly-fertilised
embryos are
placed into the
womb of the
woman
Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART):
Number of individuals
2) IVF (in vitro fertilisation)
ESHRE Report 2001
What happens to the
other embryos?
Destroyed
Frozen
Research
Embryo Screening
What is it all
about?
Deciding whether an IVF embryo will be healthy
Creating a ‘Saviour Sibling’
What if the Embryo
Isn’t Perfect?
It is
Destroyed!
It works like this …
What do they test for?
Genetic Medical Problems
Like
Downs Syndrome
Haemophilia
Muscular Dystrophy
What could they test for
if it were legal to do so?
Things that our Genes can predict about us
Like
Intelligence
Female/Male
Risk of getting Cancer
What could be wrong
with Screening
Embryos?
Many lives are ended in the search
for the perfect one.
This does not cure disability/health
problems, it makes sure that no one
with them is born.
The Whittakers
Charlie with ‘saviour sibling’ Jamie
• Charlie had a rare form
of anaemia called
Diamond-Black Fan
Anaemia.
• Applied to screen
embryos for perfect
blood match for an
umbilical cord blood cell
transfusion
The Whittakers
They were refused treatment,
but went to America. Recently the
Whittaker’s announced that the
treatment was successful and that
by using Jamie’s umbilical cord
blood, Charlie has been cured.
What
are
Stem Cells?
Where do Stem Cells
come from?
Two Types:
Adult and Embryonic
Adult Stem Cells
From: Bone, Muscle,
Blood, Fat, Nerves
Over 75 Types of
Treatments and Cures
Embryo Stem Cells
From: Developing
Human Embryos
No Treatments or
Cures
How do they harvest
Embryo Stem Cells?
The human embryo
is allowed to grow
for 5-7 days.
Scientists remove its
cells and the embryo
is killed.
Every human being started as an embryo.
Saying Embryo is no different than saying: Foetus,
Baby, Toddler, Child, Teenager, or Adult.
Stem cells: EMBRYONIC vs ADULT
1) EMBRYOS AS
A TOOL FOR
RESEARCH
•
From IVF
•
From elective
abortion
(not miscarriage)
How do they harvest
Adult Stem Cells?
From:
• Fat Cells
• Bone Marrow
• Brain Cells
• Blood
• Umbilical Cord
Stem cells: EMBRYONIC vs ADULT
2) STEM
CELLS FROM
ADULT
TISSUES
Why do scientists want to
harvest Stem Cells?
Many scientists believe that stem cells hold much
promise for treating patients with serious
diseases because stem cells might be
"programmed" or coaxed into becoming many
different kinds of tissues in the body.
So in theory, for example, if scientists could
discover how to program stem cells to become
spinal cord tissue, then stem cells could be
prepared and injected into patients with spinal
cord injuries and the stem cells could effect a
repair of the damaged area.
Why do Embryo Stem
Cells have no results?
They are rejected by the
patient’s body
They can cause tumours
to grow
Why is Embryo Stem Cell
Research Controversial?
Destruction of Life
Humans Used as
Resource Material
What Kind of Cures have there
been from Adult Stem Cells?
Leukaemia
Diabetes
Heart Disease
Kidney Failure
Parkinson’s Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
How Do Adult Stem Cells
Work?
Heart tissue
Neural Tissue
Neurons
Pancreas Cells
Scientists have grown Adult cells in a lab and has
stimulated them to change into nerve, heart and
pancreas cells.
If other scientists can duplicate the process on
a larger scale, it could reduce the need for
embryonic stem cells in research and
eliminate rejection problems associated with
using stem cells from an outside donor."
What is
Cloning?
What is Cloning?
Reproductive Cloning:
An embryo is cloned, implanted into a host ‘mother’
and allowed to grow and be born.
Therapeutic Cloning:
An embryo is cloned, the stem cells are taken out to
be used for research, and the embryo is destroyed.
Is it legal to clone
humans?
It is not legal to Reproductively clone humans.
Reproductive Cloning can only be used on animals.
It is legal to Therapeutically clone humans.
Researchers clone human embryos and use their stem
cells, then destroy the embryo before it can grow and be
born.
The History of Cloning
1996 - Dolly is cloned
2001 – Theraputic
Cloning legalised
by UK
Government
2004 – UK gives
research license to
clone human
embryos for stem
cells
Cloning process
Is Reproductive Cloning Successful?
NO
• Over 90% of attempts fail
• More health problems
• Mysterious deaths
Would it be OK to
Reproductively Clone
Humans?
NO
•A child created for a scientific purpose
•The need for many attempts and
terminations of attempts, resulting in
loss of life
• Putting the clone at risk of poor health,
and mysterious death
Is it OK to
Therapeutically Clone
Humans Embryos?
NO
Human life is destroyed in the
process
•
Human life is being created for
research only
•
What do you mean
‘Human Life is
destroyed?’
Is the embryo a Human Being?
Is the Embryo Alive?
New Scientific Discoveries are
Always Exciting …
But We Must
Remember …
While we seek to improve the lives of the ill and
disabled, we must remember not to destroy the
lives of those without a voice.
Science is most
advanced when it is
ethical.