The Clinical Use of Stem Cell Research in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Critical Analysis of Current Policies

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disorder affecting more than 200 million people around the world, resulting in three million deaths per year. COPD is characterized by the loss of lung tissue and airway remodelling, with chronic inflammation of the airways and progressive destruction of lung parenchyma. The use of stem cells may lead to regenerative processes that address biological damage. However, this approach raises ethical issues that need to be considered in clinical trials using stem cell therapy, such as informed consent, patient recruitment and harm minimization, as well as the inherent uncertainty of these medical procedures on human beings. Indeed, up to now, these experiments have been performed in preclinical studies using animal models, with few studies involving humans. Additional efforts should be made to assess this promising procedure.