Reply: Stem cell-based embryo models: scientific promise clashes with ethical reality

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ID: 321052
2026
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Ranked #55 of 98 articles by views in human reproduction (oxford, england)

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Abstract
We thank Boiani and Denker (Boiani and Denker 2026) for their engagement with our article. Like them, we welcome involvement with these issues by authors from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. We refute, however, the suggestion that our white paper is coloured by the commercial interests of nine of its 44 authors. Our conflict of interest declaration is offered in good faith and in compliance with the requirements of the journal. We now address each of Denker and Boiani’s three substantive points: To their first point, we disagree that stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEMs) should be referred to as ‘asexual embryos’. This term is used to describe a method by which organisms reproduce and therefore is biologically imprecise if used to refer to the broad category of SCBEMs (as noted elsewhere, SCBEMs today are not able to develop into human beings). The term is rhetorically loaded and risks misleading the public. We note that in the past, IVF was sometimes labelled asexual, with consequences for public perception. The characterization of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) donors as ‘parents’ of SCBEMs can lead to confusion; the relationship between a somatic cell donor and an entity derived from their reprogrammed cells is fundamentally different from parenthood in established biological, ethical, or legal senses.
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Authors Alfonso Martinez Arias, Nicolas Rivron, Shahragim Tajbakhsh, Josephine Johnston, Cantas Alev, Laure Bally-Cuif, Elvan Böke, Tommaso Cavazza, Emma Cave, David Cyranoski, Laurent David, Miguel A Esteban, Jianping Fu, Niels Geijsen, Nienke De Graeff, Jacob H Hanna, Nick Hopwood, Maneesha S Inamdar, Fredrik Lanner, Brigitte Leeners, Zhen Liu, Jean Leon Maitre, Gabriella Minchiotti, Naomi Moris, Megan Munsie, Kathy K Niakan, Olivier Pourquie, Vincent Pasque, Martin Pera, Yaojin Peng, Sophie Petropoulos, Sharad Ramanathan, Janet Rossant, Peter Rugg-Gunn, Mitinori Saitou, Karen Sermon, Jose Silva, Thorold Theunissen, Margherita Turco, John Wallingford, Hongmei Wang, Aryeh Warmflash, Jun Wu, Leqian Yu
Journal human reproduction (oxford, england)
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/humrep/deag113
URL
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