Bioethics and the Future of Stem Cell Research

Insoo Hyun is Associate Professor of Bioethics and Philosophy at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized authority on stem cell research ethics. He has advised governmental scientific bodies in the United States, Australia, Argentina, Norway, China, Singapore and South Korea on matters relating to the regulation of basic and translational stem cell research. In 2005, Dr Hyun was awarded a Fulbright Research Award by the U.S. Department of State to study the ethical, legal and cultural dynamics of human research cloning in South Korea. In 2006, he chaired the Subcommittee on Human Biological Materials Procurement for the International Embryonic Stem Cell Guidelines Task Force, a multinational, multidisciplinary working group for the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). In 2007, he served as Co-Chairperson of the ISSCR Task Force on International Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells. He is also the past Chairperson of the ISSCR's Ethics and Public Policy Committee. His bioethics articles have appeared in Science, Nature, Cell Stem Cell, the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Hastings Center Report and the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, among many other publications.

• 1. Prologue: the dogs bark but the caravan moves on; 2. A shifting terrain: the dynamics of stem cell research; 3. The golden bridle I: philosophical research ethics; 4. The golden bridle II: practical research ethics; 5. Pegasus and the Chimera: stem cell-based animal research; 6. The limit case: acute human/non-human neurological chimerism; 7. Human trials: testing stem cell-based biologics in patients; 8. Still the sky is blue: stem cell tourism and medical innovation.

'At last we have a comprehensive review of the crucially important yet enduringly controversial field of stem cell research. Ranging across topics as diverse as philosophy of science, ancient mythology, modern biology, the meaning of language, and the intricacies of FDA requirements for the compassionate use of investigational biologic drugs, Hyun weaves together a story of humanity's latest effort to define, heal, and even regenerate itself.' R. Alta Charo, University of Wisconsin Law School