Question

The blood-brain barrier occurs when the physical structures of the brain prevent blood from intermingling with the extracellular fluid of brain cells. This separation makes it difficult and dangerous to deliver drugs to specific regions of the brain. Therefore, further research on how the blood-brain barrier works is needed to allow more effective delivery of drugs. What potential ethical issues may inhibit such research?

Answer 1

Brain research like this generally requires a live subject whether it be an animal or a human. Any experimental medical testing is always an ethical issue because of the potential risks that it poses such as pain, discomfort, death, or altercations to the subjects current state.

Answer 2

To study the Blood-Brain Barrier requires that research involves the use of subjects such as guinea pigs, rabbits, or even humans. The research would involve conducting different treatments with different substances to check which their movement or effect on this barrier. The research may also involve opening up or severing of the brain for analysis. This, will, therefore, raise ethical issues on the use of human subjects, and the respect for human dignity and bodily integrity. The research would have to comply with the ethical rule of non‐maleficence which may limit the frontiers of the research hence limit its success.