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Biomedical ethics 2.0: redefining the meaning of disease, patient and treatment

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 21, pages 417–418 (2020)Cite this article

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The foundations of biomedical ethics were established in the 2nd half of the 20th century, but issues associated with medical practice continue to evolve from new technologies. Recent progress in genomics and genome engineering has changed the meaning of the basic words of medicine: disease, patient and treatment.

Three trends came together and gave rise to modern biomedical ethics — biomedical ethics 1.0. First, the technological advance of placing human bodies on external life support made separation of the human person from the human body a practical matter for the first time in history. Second, successful in vitro fertilization created embryos outside a woman’s reproductive system and gave practical meaning to the question: when does a clump of human cells become a person and, regardless, what moral status does a clump of human cells deserve? Finally, the increasing use of human bodies for experimental research caused inherent conflicts of interest for those using patients as subjects.

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Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges colleagues John Sadler, Tom Mayo, Matthew Brown and William Snell for their help with this essay.

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  1. Robert McLemore Professor of Medical Science. Department of Cell Biology Ethics in Science and Medicine Program UT Southwestern Med Ctr, Dallas, TX, USA

    Frederick Grinnell

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  1. Frederick Grinnell
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Correspondence to Frederick Grinnell.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Grinnell, F. Biomedical ethics 2.0: redefining the meaning of disease, patient and treatment. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 21, 417–418 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-0247-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-020-0247-7

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