PET PET
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
Become a Friend Donate
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
    • People
    • Press Office
    • Our History
  • Get Involved
    • Become a Friend of PET
    • Volunteer
    • Campaigns
    • Writing Scheme
    • Partnership and Sponsorship
    • Advertise with Us
  • Donate
    • Become a Friend of PET
  • BioNews
    • News
    • Comment
    • Reviews
    • Elsewhere
    • Topics
    • Glossary
    • Newsletters
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Previous Events
  • Engagement
    • Policy and Projects
      • Resources
    • Education
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements
PETBioNewsCommentThe emergence of iBlastoids: Time to update the law?

BioNews

The emergence of iBlastoids: Time to update the law?

Published 26 April 2021 posted in Comment and appears in BioNews 1092

Author

Dr Patrick Foong

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).

Is an international conversation on the 14-day rule needed in the light of the development of iBlastoids?...

Adult human skin cells have been reprogrammed to form three-dimensional structures similar to early human embryos by a team led by Professor Jose Polo at Monash University, Australia (see BioNews 1088).

Called 'iBlastoids', they could potentially enable us to learn how early human embryos develop and implant in the uterus. The studies could also lead to medical treatments for conditions such as infertility, miscarriage, developmental disorders and genetic diseases.

Typically, the development of an embryo begins with an egg being fertilised by the sperm, leading to cell divisions. After about five days, it results in a ball of around 100 cells called the blastocyst. In comparison, iBlastoids are created when cells removed from the adult human body (in this experiment, skin cells) are reprogrammed to become induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, using the innovative technique pioneered by the Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka. These iPS cells can be directed to specialise into different types of specific kinds of cells. The blastocyst-like organisation and derivation from iPS, give rise to the name iBlastoid.

Like most medical breakthroughs, there are further questions outside the scientific domain: the challenging areas of ethics and the law. International guidelines and laws in many countries regarding embryo and stem cell research set strict limits. Many western countries have adopted the 14-day limit on embryo research where the embryo has to be destroyed by the fourteenth day. This rule was recommended in the UK's 1984 Warnock Report in the early days of IVF. In Australia, under the Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Act 2006, it is illegal for scientists to allow the development of a human embryo outside the body of a woman for more than 14 days.

Currently, there is uncertainty whether iBlastoids are permitted within these laws and guidelines to develop beyond the developmental stage when the primitive streak forms, which is around day 14 after fertilisation. If they are treated as human embryos, they need to be destroyed by scientists on the fourteenth day to comply with the current law.

On an important note, while iBlastoids are comparable to human blastocysts, there are also distinctions. It is emphasised that these iBlastoids are not actual human embryos. They are unfertilised cellular models of human embryos made in the lab. iBlastoids cannot develop into babies.

As the Monash team concluded, 'they should not be considered as an equivalent to human blastocysts... the iBlastoids are derived from adult donor fibroblasts and not via fertilisation.' However, they also conceded that 'the developmental potential of iBlastoids as a model for primitive streak formation and gastrulation remains to be determined, and will require an international conversation on the applicability of the 14-day rule to iBlastoids.'

Even if the 14-day limit applies to iBlastoids, this rule was formed decades ago. It was a somewhat arbitrary compromise between gaining the utilitarian benefit of scientific research and alleviating public concern during the early IVF days (see BioNews 883).

As the late Baroness Mary Warnock explained, 'the number 14 was not arbitrary in the sense we drew it out of a hat. But it was arbitrary in the sense that it might have been a different number'. Bioethicist, John Harris opined that the overall consensus of scientific opinion is that researchers can learn much by extending the 14-day limit to 21 days. In comparison, abortion in some societies is legally permitted up to 24 weeks gestation, a threshold that is way beyond the 21 days' limit.

Recently, an international team of scientists and ethicists had called for the 14-day limit on embryo research to be abolished (see BioNews 1086). They did not suggest an extension of the 14 days (to, say, 21 days) but they recommended a 'cautious, stepwise approach' to scientific research beyond the 14-day limit. This approach comprises six principles to consider whether the window for research on human embryos can be extended in incremental measured steps. These principles include scientific justification, well-defined increments, independent peer review, public dialogue, informed consent and separation of clinical care and research.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) – often regarded as the de facto regulator in the field – had several meetings to update the 2016 version of the guidelines. While not legally binding, these guidelines are influential and are referred to by universities, research institutes, and funding companies. The Monash team references the ISSCR guidelines in the Nature article. It will be intriguing to see what the revised guidelines will recommend regarding the limits of the creation of iBlastoids.

Related Articles

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
3 December 2021 • 2 minutes read

Human blastoids give insight into implantation

by Paige Mumford

Scientists have created a 'blastoid' model of the human embryo at early-stages that can successfully attach to uterine cells in vitro, mimicking the implantation of an embryo in the mother's uterus...

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
19 November 2021 • 3 minutes read

Early stage of human embryo development seen for the first time

by Dr George Janes

High-resolution single-cell gene expression analysis has been performed on a gastrulating human embryo, providing landmark insights...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
Comment
4 June 2021 • 4 minutes read

Fertilisation, the fourteen day rule, and beyond

by Dr Sigal Klipstein

The first IVF baby was born in 1978, and represented a milestone at the cross section of basic science, clinical research and patient care...

PET BioNews
News
26 May 2021 • 3 minutes read

New embryo and stem cell research guidelines allow for possibility of extending the 14-day rule

by Sandy Starr

The International Society for Stem Cell Research has published wide-ranging new guidelines, covering a number of contentious areas of research and clinical practice...

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).
Comment
30 April 2021 • 5 minutes read

The question of embryohood

by Professor David Jones

Students of bioethics sometimes imagine that the philosophical, moral and legal status of the human embryo is reducible to the single question: 'Is the human embryo a person?'...

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).
Comment
26 March 2021 • 5 minutes read

The entelechy test: embryos and simbryos

by Julian Hitchcock

Over two weeks in March, four teams reported the self-assembly from stem cells of structures resembling human embryos...

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
18 March 2021 • 3 minutes read

Stem cells form human tissue that behave like early-stage embryos

by Christina Burke

For the first time, researchers have successfully developed models of early-stage human embryos using stem cells...

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
5 March 2021 • 2 minutes read

Policymakers urged to extend the 14-day limit on embryo research

by Joseph Hamilton

The 14-day limit on culturing human embryos in the lab should be extended, according to an international group of researchers...

Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family (from Greek and Roman mythology) entwined in coils of DNA.
Image by Bill Sanderson via the Wellcome Collection, © Wellcome Trust Ltd 1990. Depicts Laocoön and his family entwined in coils of DNA (based on the figure of Laocoön from Greek and Roman mythology).
Comment
11 February 2021 • 4 minutes read

The 14-day limit should be extended to 28 days

by Sophia McCully

The '14-day rule', initially proposed in 1979 in the USA, was first recommended in the UK by the Warnock Committee in 1984. It limits research on intact human embryos 'prior to 14 days' gestation or the beginning of primitive streak formation' and is part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008...

Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
CC BY 4.0
Image by K Hardy via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human embryo at the blastocyst stage (about six days after fertilisation) 'hatching' out of the zona pellucida.
News
18 October 2019 • 2 minutes read

First 'blastoids' from mouse stem cells implanted in womb

by Jennifer Frosch

US researchers have generated novel early embryo models — called blastoids — from mouse stem cells and implanted them into surrogate mice...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

« Sorry mate, you're a monkey…

Data-Label The UK's Leading Supplier Of Medical Labels & Asset Labels

RetiringDentist.co.uk The UK's Leading M&A Company.

Find out how you can advertise here
easyfundraising
amazon

This month in BioNews

  • Popular
  • Recent
8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

FILM: 200 Years of Mendel – From Peas to Personalised Medicine

1 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Women's Health Strategy plans reflect rising needs of same-sex female couples

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Was the Women's Health Strategy worth the wait?

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Why the UK should extend the 14-day rule to 28 days

25 July 2022 • 5 minutes read

200 Years of Mendel: From Peas to Personalised Medicine

8 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Citizenship and same-sex parents – about time, Sweden!

8 August 2022 • 2 minutes read

FILM: 200 Years of Mendel – From Peas to Personalised Medicine

1 August 2022 • 4 minutes read

Women's Health Strategy plans reflect rising needs of same-sex female couples

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Was the Women's Health Strategy worth the wait?

25 July 2022 • 4 minutes read

Why the UK should extend the 14-day rule to 28 days

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856

Subscribe to BioNews and other PET updates for free.

Subscribe
PET PET

PET is an independent charity that improves choices for people affected by infertility and genetic conditions.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • RSS
Wellcome
Website redevelopment supported by Wellcome.

Navigation

  • About Us
  • Get Involved
  • Donate
  • BioNews
  • Events
  • Engagement
  • Jobs & Opportunities
  • Contact Us

BioNews

  • News
  • Comment
  • Reviews
  • Elsewhere
  • Topics
  • Glossary
  • Newsletters

Other

  • My Account
  • Subscribe

Website by Impact Media Impact Media

  • Privacy Statement
  • Advertising Policy
  • Thanks and Acknowledgements

© 1992 - 2022 Progress Educational Trust. All rights reserved.

Limited company registered in England and Wales no 07405980 • Registered charity no 1139856