Ethical, legal, and social issues pertaining to induced pluripotent stem cell bio-banking in paediatrics in Japan

International Conference and Exhibition on Tissue Preservation & Bio-banking

July 20-22, 2015 Barcelona, Spain

Mayumi Kusunose and Kaori Muto

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Tissue Sci Eng

Abstract :

Regenerative medicinal research utilizing induced stem cells (iPSCs) is one of the cutting-edge research areas in Japan. It is an element of Japanâ??s New Growth Strategy and a 110-billion-Yen budget created in 2013 to strengthen and accelerate stem cell research over a ten-year period. With the Japanese governmentâ??s support, nationwide stem cell research projects have been conducting and the first human clinical trial using iPSC conducted on an age-related macular degeneration patient in 2014. Under these circumstances, iPSC banking projects have been undertaken. Notably, the iPSC stock project collects HLA homogeneous cells to create clinically applicable iPSC lines. iPSC banking is a relatively new system and now faces new ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) and its governance. ELSI on umbilical cord blood banking for clinical use and ELSI on DNA banking for research use been actively discussed. However, ELSI on iPSC banking is not been thoroughly examined yet in Japan. Without saying anything that there has not been much research on ELSI pertaining to iPSC banking targeting children and minors, such as returning results to minors and parents. Therefore, our poster examines the ELSI on iPSC banking in paediatrics based on our experience with the ethical supports in iPSC banking for basic research. In addition, we will introduce and examine the new guidelines outlined in â??Ethical Guidelines for Human Medical Researchâ?? that will be enacted in April 2015, as a reference as it elaborates on clinical research pertaining to minors and the relevant assent issues.

Biography :

Mayumi Kusunose is a Project Researcher at the Department of Public Policy, the Institute of Medical Science in University of Tokyo, Japan. She has been working on research dealing with the ethical, legal, and social implications relevant to the realization of regenerative medicine. She earned a Masterâ??s Degree in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 2010 and a Masterâ??s Degree in Humanities and Social Sciences from Kochi University, Japan in 2002. She also earned Bioethics Certificates in Clinical Ethics and Research Ethics from Union Graduate College and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, USA.