QUESTIONNAIRE:

Information and expectancies related to stem cell research and tissue engineering techniques in perinatal medicine

Please mark what is applicable to you.

Demographic questions
  1. Gender:
  2. Male
  3. Female

  1. Age:
  2. <30 year
  3. <40 year
  4. <50 year
  5. 50 year

  1. Nationality(please specify):

  1. Educationalbackground (mark only one)
  2. General Gyn.&Ob specialist(or in training for it)
  3. Perinatologyspecialist(or in training for it)
  4. More than half time researcher (irrespective of medical training background)

  1. Place of work (predominantly)
  2. Private practice
  3. District general hospital
  4. Academic Hospital
  5. Research Laboratory

Knowledge and information questions
  1. I consider my knowledge about stem cell research as
  2. Non existing
  3. Limited
  4. Familiar with it
  5. Expert

  1. I consider my knowledge about tissue engineering as
  2. Non existing
  3. Limited
  4. Familiar with it
  5. Expert

  1. I would qualify my interest for stem cell research as
  2. None
  3. Minimal
  4. Important

  1. I would qualify my interest for tissue engineering as
  2. None
  3. Light
  4. Important

  1. Does the place where you work has an operational stem cell research program (experimental or clinical) ?
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. I don’t know or I am not aware of

  1. Does the place where you work has an operational tissue engineering program (experimental or clinical)?
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. I don’t know or I am not aware of

  1. What level of development you think current stem cell research has reached (this does not apply necessarily to your institution only, but in general) ?
  2. In vitro experiments
  3. In vivo animal experiments
  4. Human experimental applications
  5. Routine clinical applications
  6. I don’t know

  1. Stem cells with differentiating properties have been isolated from amniotic fluid. These cells can be used to produce biological prosthesis by tissue engineering techniques.
  2. I am not interested by this field of research and/or have no opinion on this
  3. I am aware of this and have enough information about this subject
  4. I am unfamiliar with this and would need/like to receive more information about this subject

Expectancies and feelings of professionals in perinatology about stem cells and tissue engineering.
  1. Human embryos are an important provider of stem cells. Do you think embryos-derived stem cells experiments are
  2. Ethically unacceptable
  3. Acceptable with animal embryos only
  4. Acceptable
  5. I don’know

From this point onwards, our questions relate to experimentation and use of stem cells after the embryo has been formed but still in the period before birth, or immediately after.
  1. The following items may raise controversy about stem cell experimentation in perinatal medicine (several answers possible)
  2. Lack of information on this field of research
  3. Confusion with embryonic stem cell research or therapy
  4. Commercial abuse or conflict of interest
  5. Potential harm to the fetus or developing child
  6. The fetus or child cannot consent
  7. Other (please specify):

  1. What are for you acceptable sources of stem cells, provided obviously that the mother or parents consent:
  2. Redundant materials from body fluids, biopsies or already resected tissues
  • Specimens specially harvested for that purpose

  1. To your opinion, when do you think applications of stem cell research are or will be clinically beneficial for patients (cord blood excluded)
  2. It is already the case today
  3. It is about to happen
  4. It is for next generation
  5. It if for the distant future

  1. Imagine a fetus has a structural defect that will require repair immediately after birth, and most likely requiring a prosthesis. Assume that this synthetic prosthesis could be partly or entirely replaced by a tissue engineered patch, using native cells (thus originating from the fetus itself). However this would require the availability of fetal cells a certain time before birth. Do you think asking the mother to perform amniocentesis for the purpose of obtaining fetal cells is:
  2. Ethically not acceptable
  3. Ethically acceptable, only if the invasive procedure is done anyway
  4. Ethically acceptable, also if tha invasive procedure needs to be done for the single purpose of obtaining these cells
  5. No opinion

  1. Would you agree to propose your patients to donate material for stem cell research (under the conditions you had in mind in Q19)?.
  2. Yes
  3. No
  4. I don’t see patients

Let us assume that there is or would be today first clinical experimental evidence that stem cells can be used in perinatal medicine (cord blood excluded ).
  1. Do you think that the medical community
  2. would immediately embrace its use
  3. would resist it because it has no knowledge about the concept and its potential application
  4. would resist it because it would want to have safety and efficacy data
  5. would object it irrespective of the above
  6. I don’t know

  1. the general public
  2. would immediately embrace its use
  3. would resist it because it has no knowledge about the concept and its potential application
  4. would resist it because it would want to have safety and efficacy data
  5. would object it irrespective of the above
  6. I don’t know