Human fetal tissue research has contributed significantly to our understanding of human development and continues to support progress in regenerative medicine. However, the use of fetal tissue obtained following induced abortion raises important ethical considerations. In 2022, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) published standards for obtaining informed consent for fetal tissue donation. At present, Japan has no laws or guidelines that specifically govern fetal tissue research.

A research group led by Professor Misao Fujita, Professor Mitinori Saitou, and Professor Yasuhiro Takashima of the Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi) and the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University has examined the ethical, legal, and social issues surrounding human fetal tissue research in Japan. Drawing on an analysis of legal frameworks, regulations, and social contexts in Japan and other countries, the authors identified three key challenges in applying the ISSCR standards domestically: (1) minimizing burdens on potential donors; (2) determining the role of male partners in decisions regarding fetal tissue donation; and (3) addressing legal uncertainties surrounding the storage, use, and disposal of fetal tissue. The study proposes possible approaches to each of these issues.

These findings were published online in Regenerative Medicine on 11 June 2026.

A new study has uncovered a fundamental link between brain size and offspring size, helping to solve a long-standing evolutionary puzzle: why do birds lay such disproportionately large eggs?

Using artificial intelligence to detect images of African leopards and rattlesnakes and freezing samples of endangered marine organisms far below zero degrees Fahrenheit are just some of the ways that new technologies can help protect biodiversity and threatened ecosystems. San Diego State University and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) announced a partnership to increase the impact of such innovations developed through SDZWA’s research, conservation, and wildlife care initiative

Rice bioengineer Julea Vlassakis has won $1.1M in federal funding for a project researching Ewing sarcoma.

A night without sleep produced increased markers of connections between brain cells, showing that sleep in humans may be important for restoring cellular balance in the brain, according to a study published June 23^rd in the open access journal PLOS Biology by David Elmenhorst from the Forschungszentrum Jülich Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and colleagues.

The environment experienced by young zebrafish influences both the shape and electrical activity of the neurons in the eye, which impacts subsequent behaviour.

Mississippi State scientists are part of an international team investigating when and where cotton was first domesticated. Their findings, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, weave together a clearer picture of cotton’s genomic past while offering insight to help improve the crop’s future.

A new algorithm could drive breakthroughs in understanding cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other potentially fatal conditions.

Researchers from the University of Waterloo developed the machine learning algorithm, called  RNovA, to detect changes in the proteins in human cells.

The genetic mechanisms regulating the metamorphosis of worker and queen bees from genetically identical insect larvae is poorly understood. A team of researchers recently identified 842 candidate enhancer sequences from 17,349 worker Apis mellifera transcription start sites that may help regulate the development of worker honeybees in this genus’ complex social caste system.