. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2014 Feb 24.

Published in final edited form as: J Cardiovasc Transl Res. 2009 Dec 1;3(2):122–127. doi: 10.1007/s12265-009-9155-0

Table 1. The scientific, clinical, ethical, social, and policy considerations of stem cell research.

1. Potential scientific use
All three stem cell types	Model systems for research on human disease Tools for drug development
All three stem cell types	Tools for drug development
Human embryonic stem cells	Gold standard for iPS cell work
Human embryonic stem cells	Tool for understanding fundamentals of human developmental processes, both normal and abnormal
Human adult stem cells	System for determining signaling pathways in cell maturation
Human induced pluripotent stem cells	Resource for studying process of reprogramming
2. Potential clinical use
All three stem cell types	Source of cells and tissues for repair or replacement
Human adult and induced pluripotent stem cells	Source of autologous cells and tissues
3. Some potential ethical and social issues
All three stem cell types	Intellectual property constraints on use of the research materials
	Access to the medical and therapeutic technologies developed from stem cells
	Individual donors' understanding of uncertainty of future use of their donated gametes, embryos, or somatic cells
	Privacy and confidentiality of gamete, embryo, or somatic cell donors
	Returning medically relevant information to gamete, embryo, or somatic cell donors
	Hyperbole of safety and efficacy of therapies under development
	Individual recipients' understanding of the origin of materials used in their therapy or treatment
Human embryonic stem cells	Source of cells
4. Some potential policy considerations
Carefully and thoughtfully examining of intellectual property rights provided to and governing stem cell research materials (i.e., human embryonic stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells) and developed medical therapies
Emphasizing experimental nature of study trials and focusing efforts on communicating full information to participants and obtaining authentic consent from them
Rethinking the goals of the informed consent process for individuals donating cells and tissues for stem cell research use
Collecting and analyzing empirical data to determine expectations of cell and tissues for stem cell research
Collecting and analyzing empirical data to determine expectations and understandings of participants in stem cell clinical trials, especially early phase studies
Encouraging and promoting civil debates on moral views and individual values in the context of stem cell research