Modeling policy development: examining national governance of stem cell-based embryo models

Abstract

Researchers can now coax human pluripotent stem cells to imitate the structure and spontaneous self-organization of the developing human embryo. Although these stem cell-based embryo models present an advantageous alternative to embryo research, they also raise ethical and policy challenges. In 2021, the International Society for Stem Cell Research revised its Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation, providing contemporaneous best practices for ethical conduct in the field. The Guidelines complement national governance frameworks; however, they also contain contentious and aspirational norms that might catalyze change in research practice and in the enactment of national policies. Using a sample of 11 research-intensive countries, the authors compare research policy frameworks against the International Society for Stem Cell Research Guidelines to showcase how developments in global and national policies might affect stem cell-based embryo model research governance and illustrate fertile areas for ethical reflection and policy development.