As with any avenue in biotechnology, stem cell therapy is filled to the brim with ethical challenges. These have hindered development in this field and have been debated countless times with no clear answer at hand. The first concern that had arisen was the creation of chimeric strains for the production of stem cells. It is not very farfetched to call it a violation of the natural code. The mice undergo various degrees of harmful testing for it to fail most of the time. Biotechnological experiments have a very small success rate which leads to countless populations of lab animals being subjected to a bizarre number of absurd tests to obtain a product that is viable for use. 

 

Animal Rights Activists have made a clear point that we need to move on to artificially created systems. However, due to a lack of similarity in their functions with natural beings, they are still in their infancy of development. The extraction of stem cells is a highly debated topic. The process is neither easy nor is it full proof. The extraction of them from embryos especially a highly contested topic in the realm of bioethics. The extraction of cells from something that hasn’t even been technically born yet for research is a dilemma scientists have faced since the inception of stem cell research.

 

The other options like extraction from ovaries aren’t exactly better due to their complicated procedure and the lesser yield of stem cells. The recent discovery of mesenchymal stem cells in umbilical cords has presented itself as a very possible solution for this huge issue. One must look towards an artificial generation of stem cells to solve all these issues. However, at present, with the resources we have, we are required to work with what we have.