Human tissues in a dish: The research and ethical implications of organoid technology

Annelien L Bredenoord; Hans Clevers; Juergen A Knoblich

doi:10.1126/science.aaf9414

Human tissues in a dish: The research and ethical implications of organoid technology

Annelien L Bredenoord, Hans Clevers, Juergen A Knoblich

Hubrecht Institute

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodical › Article › Scientific › peer-review

205 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The ability to generate human tissues in vitro from stem cells has raised enormous expectations among the biomedical research community, patients, and the general public. These organoids enable studies of normal development and disease and allow the testing of compounds directly on human tissue. Organoids hold the promise to influence the entire innovation cycle in biomedical research. They affect fields that have been subjects of intense ethical debate, ranging from animal experiments and the use of embryonic or fetal human tissues to precision medicine, organoid transplantation, and gene therapy. However, organoid research also raises additional ethical questions that require reexamination and potential recalibration of ethical and legal policies. In this Review, we describe the current state of research and discuss the ethical implications of organoid technology.

Original language	English
Journal	Science
Volume	355
Issue number	6322
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf9414
Publication status	Published - 20 Jan 2017

Keywords

Animal Experimentation
Animals
Embryo Research
Fetal Research
Gene Editing
Humans
Organoids
Precision Medicine
Stem Cell Research
Tissue Culture Techniques
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

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Cite this

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abstract = "The ability to generate human tissues in vitro from stem cells has raised enormous expectations among the biomedical research community, patients, and the general public. These organoids enable studies of normal development and disease and allow the testing of compounds directly on human tissue. Organoids hold the promise to influence the entire innovation cycle in biomedical research. They affect fields that have been subjects of intense ethical debate, ranging from animal experiments and the use of embryonic or fetal human tissues to precision medicine, organoid transplantation, and gene therapy. However, organoid research also raises additional ethical questions that require reexamination and potential recalibration of ethical and legal policies. In this Review, we describe the current state of research and discuss the ethical implications of organoid technology.",

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AU - Clevers, Hans

AU - Knoblich, Juergen A

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AB - The ability to generate human tissues in vitro from stem cells has raised enormous expectations among the biomedical research community, patients, and the general public. These organoids enable studies of normal development and disease and allow the testing of compounds directly on human tissue. Organoids hold the promise to influence the entire innovation cycle in biomedical research. They affect fields that have been subjects of intense ethical debate, ranging from animal experiments and the use of embryonic or fetal human tissues to precision medicine, organoid transplantation, and gene therapy. However, organoid research also raises additional ethical questions that require reexamination and potential recalibration of ethical and legal policies. In this Review, we describe the current state of research and discuss the ethical implications of organoid technology.

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KW - Animals

KW - Embryo Research

KW - Fetal Research

KW - Gene Editing

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KW - Precision Medicine

KW - Stem Cell Research

KW - Tissue Culture Techniques

KW - Journal Article

KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

KW - Review

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VL - 355

JO - Science

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Human tissues in a dish: The research and ethical implications of organoid technology

Abstract

Keywords

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