An Islamic Perspective on

Stem Cells Research

DR.Dr.H. Agung Putra, MSi Med

The Chief of SCCR

STEM CELL & CANCER RESEARCH

 Human body consists of many kinds of cells,
very diverse in their structure and function.
Neurons that make up the brain are very
different from cells that make up the liver
Cells that allow our heart to pump blood
look nothing like the cells that make up
our skin.
 All cells in the human body contain the same
DNA.
Genetic information: Gene to make all
these various cell types.
Have their own set of genes activated, and
other sets turned off---- Turned on in it
(cell) while the rest are shut off.
 How do cells become specialized to
form the different organs in the body?

a sperm cell fuses with an egg cell.

The initial fertilized egg: only a single cell,
But is able to form an entire human
being.
All the cells are able to produce a
complete organism.
 TOTIPOTENT
Have total potential to produce all cell
types present in a living human.
 PLURIPOTENT
Development proceeds--- Totipotent become
pluripotent
Have potential to become many different kinds of
cells but can no longer give rise to a complete
embryo.
 DIFFERENTIATION
Later in development,
The pluripotent cells eventually give rise
to
The different and more specialized
kinds of cells in the body
The different organs
 In vitro fertilization
One source of stem cells is from
embryos
Technique--- Eggs are removed from a
woman after stimulation of the ovaries
The isolated eggs are then fertilized
by sperm cells in the laboratory.
 The fertilized eggs are allowed to divide for a
few cycles
Implanted into the womans uterus, where a
normal pregnancy can then take place.
 Purpose of this technique
Allow couples who cannot normally have
children to be able to reproduce.
Usually produce several embryos, hoping that
at least one will be able to implant correctly
in the uterus and start growing.
The remaining embryos are either frozen for
later use or are destroyed.
 How About This
Take embryos at the early stage (before
implanted into the uterus)--- 1-5 days after
fertilization
Remove pluripotent cells from them.
Then be grown and divided on dishes in
the laboratory
Used to produce all kinds of tissues.
 Why are stem cells important?
Research on stem cells has much value both
for:
1. Scientific understanding of human
development
2. Its potential to treat human disease.
 The effectiveness and safety of new drugs or
treatments could be done on cell lines made
from stem cells,
Solving for current problem of organ
shortage and immune rejection of organs.
DM with type 1
Stem cells might create cells that produce
insulin.
 To produce liver cells that can then be formed into
a functioning liver and transplanted into patients
with liver failure
Potential to cure many diseases:
Chirrusis Hepatis
to diabetes,
to Alzheimers
Parkinsons disease
heart disease
Spinal cord injury
 Shariah Perspective on
Stem Cells Research
Moral issues: an Islamic perspective.
Married couples who cannot have pregnancy
in a normal way are allowed to have in vitro
fertilization as long as the fertilized ovum is
placed in the womb of the woman from
whom the egg the was taken (not a surrogate
mother).
 The fertilization has to be with the sperm of
her lawful husband during their married life,
not after divorce or after the death of the
husband.
 Having recognized that in vitro fertilization is
permissible in Islam
The first question that we should ask is
Should an embryo, which is formed within
a few days after an artificial fertilization
and is not yet in the womb of its mother,
be considered a human being, with all the
rights of a human being?
 Shariah Perspective
Should make a distinction between actual life and
potential life.
Should make a clear distinction between the fertilized
ovum in the dish and the fertilized ovum in the womb
of its mother.
Indeed an embryo is valuable.
Has the potential to grow into a human being, but it is
not yet a human being.
Big difference in having something in a test tube or
dish or something in the body of a human being.
 The embryos were developed initially in the
laboratory solely for the sake of reproduction
and, due to limitations of the in vitro
fertilization technique, they were produced in
excess of what was required for this purpose

The remaining embryos would have either

been frozen indefinitely or destroyed.
 If these embryos were treated as full human,
it would have been forbidden to produce
them in excess and to destroy them later. No
one treats them as humans.
Destroying such embryos is not called and
cannot be called abortion.
We disagree with the Catholic position that
this is equivalent to infanticide. (Dr.
Muzammil Siddiqi)
The Question is
Whether according to the Shariah it is
acceptable to destroy an embryo for the sake
of research, even if this research can
potentially cure many otherwise fatal
diseases?
 The embryo in this stage is not human.
It is not in its natural environment, the womb.
If it is not placed in the womb it will not survive
and it will not become a human being.
 Wahai hamba-hamba Allah, kalian harus
mengobati (diri kalian sendiri) karena
sesungguhnya Allah tidak menciptakan suatu
penyakit tanpa menyediakan obatnya, kecuali
satu macam penyakit.
Mereka bertanya: Apa itu? Nabi
Muhammad SAW menjawab: Pikun
(penuaan) (HR.Bukhori).
 Jawatan Kuasa Fatwa Majelis
Kebangsaan Malaysia (MUI-nya Malaysia)
melalui keputusan mudzakarah yang ke-51
pada tanggal 11 maret 2002, menyatakan
bahwa rekayasa stem cell untuk tujuan medis
selama tidak melanggar syara diperbolehkan.
 Diizinkan dalam syariat Islam, sesuai fatwa yang
dikeluarkan Al-Lajnah Ad-Daa'imah (Konsul Ulama
di Arab Saudi) pada tahun 2003.
Menyusul keluarnya fatwa ini, kerajaan Arab Saudi
sudah menjalin kerjasama dengan investor asing
untuk mengembangkan teknologi ini lebih lanjut.
 When?
Janin sebagai manusia bila ruh ada.
Dalam perut ibunya selama 40hari,
Genap 40 hari kedua: Segumpal darah beku.
Genap 40 HARI ketiga: Segumpal daging.
Allah SWT mengutus malaikat untuk meniupkan
ruh serta memerintahkan supaya menulis empat
perkara, yaitu ditentukan rezeki, waktu kematian,
amal, serta nasib
 Menurut islam, janin sebelum usia 120 hari
tidak dapat dikatakan sebagai manusia, karena
belum ditiupkan ruh padanya, namun tetap
dikatakan sebagai makhluk Allah.
 Stemcells melalui SCNT (kloning) menimbulkan
perdebatan.
Belum ada fatwa/ fiqih mengenai kloning ini
Sebagian besar mengharamkan kloning dengan
alasan proses tersebut tidak melalui hukum Islam
(misalnya perkawinan) dan ikut campur fihak
ketiga dalam proses reproduksi tersebut.
 Kloning keperluan stemcell research mungkin
berbeda dengan kloning untuk mendapatkan
keturunan yang dalam hukum Islam harus
melalui ikatan perkawinan.
Proses kloning sebenarnya merupakan
pembuktian kebenaran AlQuran dalam proses
pembuahan Nabi Isa A.S., yang tiada berayah.