Essay Questions
3. Consider how stem cells and related technologies mighty be used in the future. What are some of the relevant ethical issues?
Key Points:
- Consideration of the current state of the art regarding neurogenesis (e.g. birds, rat hippocampus, London taxi drivers), neural transplants (e.g. in models of Parkinson’s disease and using retinal transplants), and stem cell research using neuronal precursors that have the potential to develop into any kind of neuron (seems to offer the greatest current potential) – which tissues can be regenerated using these techniques, how effective are different methodologies in reconstructing or substituting for the original circuitry, and how specific versus how general are their effects.
- Based on the point above, a consideration of the relevant conditions in which these techniques may be applied.
- Extra credit should be given for acknowledgement that some of these techniques mentioned above are not limited in their application to the CNS; for example, stem cells have recently been mooted in the context of gum disease and tooth cavities.
- Relevant ethical issues that should be discussed include where the cells should be obtained (in the case of neural transplants, is tissue from unwanted, aborted human foetuses acceptable?), who should receive the treatment, and who should pay for it.
