Clinical trials are necessary before any new medicine is put on the market. However, many people who are unable to give consent as well as people from less-developed countries often participate in such trials. So how can we better protect these people and vulnerable populations against abuse? The European Commission has proposed a regulation which will be submitted to a vote of the European Parliament … Continue reading »

In contrast, there have been continuing scientific advances in fields of research involving alternative stem cells (adult, derived from umbilical cord or induced pluripotent) which present better prospects for clinical applications; or have indeed already demonstrated widespread clinical results (and do not raise any special ethical problems). Today’s Nobel Prize rewards such efforts to discover alternatives to hESC in mature, specialised cells that once reprogrammed … Continue reading »