投稿者名:tagoaika

Team publishes correspondence article reevaluating ‘seriousness’ in genetic conditions Examines how patient voices impact decision-making A team of three Japanese researchers has conducted a survey of stakeholders to examine how patient voices impact decisions related to genetic testing for hereditary cancers. These stakeholders included patients, healthcare professionals, and ethicists attending a workshop in Hiroshima in early 2025. The correspondence is published in the European Journal of Human Genetics on March 15, 2025.   There are differences of opinion in how to assess “seriousness” in genetic conditions. “In Japan, the seriousness of genetic disorders has traditionally been assessed using narrow medical criteria, limiting access to preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic diseases to only a small number of conditions. However, cases like retinoblastoma—which was only recognized as ‘serious’ after six years of patient advocacy—underscore the urgent need to incorporate sta

Why regulating stem cell–based embryo model research is　important (yet controversial) The stem cell-based embryo model and actual human embryos share many characteristics but are distinctly different. However, internationally, not everyone agrees on the definitions and what we should and should not do in using this research model.   The stem cell-based embryo model (SCBEM) takes advantage of the flexibility of pluripotent stem cells (non-reproductive cells that can give rise to many different types of cells) to resemble that of embryos. While this model has helped to advance research in diseases and develop therapies or treatments, it has also sparked international debate on what regulations should be placed on this type of experimentation. Researchers reviewed what countries are doing to regulate SCBEM and proposed what regulation should look like for this field of stem cell research to move forward in a manner that everyone can agree is ethically sound.   The researchers published t