Welcome to:

The Future of Medicine – Is embryo research the limit?

Part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science

What is social science?

Social science is, in its broadest sense, the study of society and its institutions. It looks at how people interact with each other, with larger groups and with those institutions.

Social scientists might be sociologists, but can also be psychologists, historians, economists, anthropologists, lawyers…

• Social science plays an important part in all our lives. It shows that science is not just about test tubes and technology but also about people and society.

• It helps us to make sense of the key issues in the world around us such as the implications of global financial crisis, climate change or nuclear power; or the implications of social issues such as ageing, immigration and population change.

• This workshop has been developed by the Egenis research centre, which looks at social issues to do with the new science of genetics.

What is the ESRC?

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) uses government money to pay for research and training in social and economic issues. It funds Egenis, for example, and many other research centres and projects throughout the country.

Embryo Research

• According to The Collins Dictionary embryo research is ‘the scientific study of an animal in the early stages of development’.

• The majority of human embryos used in research projects are obtained from patients undergoing fertility treatment [IVF]. These embryos are either unsuitable for use in treatment or the patients may decide they do not wish to cryopreserve their spare embryos.

• In the UK it is also legal to use human embryos created specifically for research from donated eggs and sperm and also cloned human embryos created through a process called cell nuclear replacement [CNR] where the nucleus of an egg cell is removed and replaced with the nucleus of another cell.

• Research on human embryos is controversial because there are some very serious moral and ethical arguments involved.

Why carry out embryonic research?

• the treatment of infertility• the causes of congenital disease• the causes of miscarriage• more effective contraception• the development of pre-implantation genetic

diagnosis• to increase knowledge about serious disease and

its treatment

ESRC Festival of Social Science

So, what is an embryo?

In terms of embryo research, is this an ‘embryo’?

www.javno.com/.../g2008/m05/y172088508605558.jpg

Or this?

www.infoniac.com/uimg/human-embryo.jpg

Or this?

Embryo-brochure.jpg

HFEAHuman Fertilisation and Embryology

Authority

The law prohibits keeping or using an embryo after the

appearance of the primitive streak* or after 14 days –

whichever is earlier*The primitive streak is the thickening in the surface of embryos which results in the first clearly recognisable stage in

embryonic development

14 day human embryo

The cluster of cells shown in Picture A is a human embryo up to 14 days after conception.

Picture B shows its actual size.

Emotive images are used both for and against embryo research

www.cssnc.org

www.daylife.com

www.stmatthewsnj.org

Newspaper Headlines

‘Therapy that might have helped Christopher Reeve walk again’

‘Stem cell hope for heart patients’‘Knee repair may hinge on stem cell research’

“We ‘Played God’ to have our baby girl”‘Stem cell treatments years away’

‘Polish Bishop supports criminalisation of embryo research’

‘Young girls encouraged to donate eggs for money’

In our society people have different views on embryo research

But how do we decide which view to take?

Role Play

“What research should be allowed?And who decides?”

Four groups representing views from:-

The Church

The Government

Researchers and Medical Practitioners

Parents

Please choose one spokesperson for each group