ASSIGNMENT -

Company ABC has produced a gene therapy technique that will reduce the development of microcephaly in the unborn babies of pregnant woman who have become infected with the Zika virus. The therapy requires the use of stem cells and company ABC will need a large supply of them to treat the wider community. Clinical trials have shown that when adult stem cells are used there is a 15% reduction in microcephaly. When embryo stem cells under 14 days old are used there is a reduction in microcephaly of 50%. When embryo stem cells over 14 days old are used there is a reduction in microcephaly of 100%.

 Company ABC need a large supply of stem cells for their gene therapy technique but they are unsure of what type of stem cells to use. All they know at this stage is that they want to acquire the stem cells legally and ethically. Company ABC is a huge multinational company and can set up their laboratory anywhere in the world.

They have asked you to do some preliminary research and write a Report to help them decide what type of stem cells to use. In your Report you need to address the legal and ethical issues related to the use of stem cells, the unborn babies, the pregnant women and the potential for further international spread of the Zika virus.

Based on your Report Company ABC will be carrying out some further research to acquire the stem cells that you recommended. Before they can do that research they will need to get approval from the Ethics Committee. So, they need to be aware of the ethical issues when they are designing their research. They want you to briefly outline the steps that they should undertake to ensure that their research is ethical. They will also need to know the essential ethical components that they would have to consider. So, you need to address that in your report.

You do not have enough words in this assignment to cover all of the possible steps and components for all the different types of research available. As you do not know what type of research that Company ABC might decide to use (to acquire the stem cells) you will need to choose one type of research and address the ethical issues related to the steps and components of that particular type of research.