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‘Ceci n’est pas un embryon?’ The ethics of human embryo model research

Nature Methods volume 20, pages 1863–1867 (2023)Cite this article

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Increasingly advanced in vitro stem-cell-derived human embryo models raise novel ethical questions and shed a light on long-standing questions regarding research on human embryos.

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Fig. 1: Significant regulations and scientific developments.
Fig. 2: Exploring impact of existing regulations on human embryo and embryo model research in the top 22 R&D investors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Niels Geijsen and Susanne van den Brink for their helpful input to, respectively, Fig. 1 and a previous version of this manuscript. N.d.G. and L.D.P. receive funding through ZonMW, project no. 10250022120002. N.d.G. and M.M. also receive funding through reNEW, the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (NNF21CC0073729).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Ethics & Health Law, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands

    Nienke de Graeff & Lien De Proost

  2. Developmental Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands

    Lien De Proost

  3. Stem Cell Biology Theme, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Megan Munsie

  4. Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Megan Munsie

Authors
  1. Nienke de Graeff
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  2. Lien De Proost
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  3. Megan Munsie
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nienke de Graeff.

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Competing interests

N.d.G. and M.M. are members of the ISSCR. M.M. is also a member of the ISSCR board of directors, and was a member of the ISSCR guideline taskforces (2008, 2016, 2021). L.D.P. declares no competing interests.

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de Graeff, N., De Proost, L. & Munsie, M. ‘Ceci n’est pas un embryon?’ The ethics of human embryo model research. Nat Methods 20, 1863–1867 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-023-02066-9

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