八代 嘉美

Introduction: Breakthroughs in stem cell research (SCR) and regenerative medicine (RM) have attracted significant public attention worldwide. Simultaneously, scientific communities and science policies have tried to establish appropriate governance of SCR and RM. In this context, effective communication between scientific communities and the public is regarded as a key factor. However, the diversity of public attitudes and interests has not been sufficiently examined, especially the differences across countries. Methods: We conducted an international comparison of public attitudes toward SCR and RM. We circulated an internet questionnaire among people in six countries: Japan, South Korea, the United States, the UK, Germany, and France. We collected 100 valid responses from each country, and a total of 600 responses were obtained. Results: Our key findings are the diversity of interests in RM, which can be expressed as user pragmatism, governance and handling of RM, risk, and benefit, and scientific interests. The priority of interests varied across the six countries, and the variations may be influenced by the political, social, cultural, and media contexts of SCR and RM in each country. Conclusion: The implications can contribute to a deeper understanding of the diversity of public attitudes, and bring about an appropriate examination of a wide range of ethical and social concerns of SCR and RM in global contexts.

Owing to the rapid progress in stem cell research (SCR) and regenerative medicine (RM), society's expectation and interest in these fields are increasing. For effective communication on issues concerning SCR and RM, surveys for understanding the interests of stakeholders is essential. For this purpose, we conducted a large-scale survey with 2,160 public responses and 1,115 responses from the member of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. Results showed that the public is more interested in the post-realization aspects of RM, such as cost of care, countermeasures for risks and accidents, and clarification of responsibility and liability, than in the scientific aspects the latter is of greater interest only to scientists. Our data indicate that an increased awareness about RM-associated social responsibility and regulatory framework is required among scientists, such as those regarding its benefits, potential accidents, abuse, and other social consequences. Awareness regarding the importance of communication and education for scientists are critical to bridge the gaps in the interests of the public and scientists. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018 7:251–257.

It is essential to understand the hurdles, motivation, and other issues affecting scientists' active participation in science communication to bridge the gap between science and society. This study analyzed 1115 responses of Japanese scientists regarding their attitudes toward science communication through a questionnaire focusing on the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine. As a result, we found that scientists face systemic issues such as lack of funding, time, opportunities, and evaluation systems for science communication. At the same time, there is a disparity of attitudes toward media discourse between scientists and the public. (C) 2017, The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

We studied the recognition of, interest in, and understanding of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and regenerative medicine in a total of 2659 junior high school, senior high school, and university students. The number of valid responses received was 2396 (90.1%). We report the following seven observations [1]. More than 80% of students reported recognition of iPS cells, regenerative medicine, and Professor Shinya Yamanaka, and a similar number were interested in and supportive of regenerative medicine [2]. Regenerative medicine was viewed as a medical treatment option. However, females were more cautious regarding use of regenerative medicine as a treatment compared with males [3]. Approximately 90% of students were interested in the latest medical care. Among the new treatment methods, they more frequently selected those that they were more familiar with and perceived less invasive to be ideal [4]. Regarding organ or tissue donation in regenerative medicine, students focused more on the characteristics of the donors [5]. Approximately 90% were supportive of storing their own cells. However, approximately 50% of students supported storing iPS cells for use in regenerative medicine [6]. Most students were anxious regarding the side effects, safety, and treatment costs of regenerative medicine, but supported the need of education regarding regenerative medicine [7]. More than 70% of students thought that education of regenerative medicine was necessary for the public. These findings suggest the importance of social approach, in addition to medical approach such as research and development, to improve QOL in community by developing the public understanding of regenerative medicine through science communication and school education, for the establishment of systems to promote this field. (C) 2016, The Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.

Sparrow highlights three potential applications of in vitro eugenics, that is, (a) research into the heredity of genetic disorders, b) production of cell lines with specific genotypes, and (c) breeding better babies, and points to the need for researchers to discuss in advance the potential ethical problems that may emerge if the realization of this technology occurs in the near future. In this commentary, we pose a question for the sake of discussion. Is it, in fact, appropriate to label all three applications raised by Sparrow as eugenics? By doing so, an unnecessary level of concern might be borne among the public, and as a result, the sound development of this specialized technology would be affected. If the label of eugenics is to be applied to all three of these applications, then Sparrow must justify how he perceives (a) and (b) as not inherently different from (c).

Microarray analysis has made it feasible to carry out extensive gene expression profiling in a single assay. Various hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) populations have been subjected to microarray analyses and their profiles of gene expression have been reported. However, this approach is not suitable to identify novel transcripts or for profiling of genes with low expression levels. To obtain a detailed gene expression profile of CD34(-)c-Kit(+)Sca-1(+)lineage marker-negative (Lin(-)) (CD34(-)KSL) HSCs, we constructed a CD34(-)KSL cDNA library, performed high-throughput sequencing, and compared the generated profile with that of another HSC fraction, side population (SP) Lin(-) (SP Lin(-)) cells. Sequencing of the 5'-termini of about 9,500 cDNAs from each HSC library identified 1,424 and 2,078 different genes from the CD34(-)KSL and SP Lin(-) libraries, respectively. To exclude ubiquitously expressed genes including housekeeping genes, digital subtraction was successfully performed against EST databases of other organs, leaving 25 HSC-specific genes including five novel genes. Among 4,450 transcripts from the CD34(-)KSL cDNA library that showed no homology to the presumable protein-coding genes, 29 were identified as strong candidates for mRNA-like non-coding RNAs by in silico analyses. Our cyclopedic approaches may contribute to understanding of novel molecular aspects of HSC function.