Summary:
The aim of my thesis is to make a comparative and synthetic study of some of the most critical issues regarding biomedical practices with stem cells. The selection of stem cells, as the object of my study, as well as the examination of their analogy with machines, was made due to the fact that the factors (scientific, technological and social) that govern their developments are multidimensional and through them the interaction and interdependence of science and technology with society become evident.
After a brief, but necessary historical review and explanation of what stem cells are (categories, methods of extraction, etc.), the first part of the paper focuses on this interaction through the examination of legislative-political issues, controversies and issues surrounding the conceptualizing the embryo. I drew upon the study of secondary literature from the interdisciplinary field of Science, Technology, Society (STS) and the history of biomedical science and technology.
The second part of my thesis is devoted to the importance of the media in shaping stem cell research and its public image. The context of developments and the image of stem cell research are influenced by the political regime, the legislative framework, and the social concerns and expectations. The examination of the importance of the media coverage for stem cell research was carried out on two levels: in the first, the comparative study of three main cases of foreign press coverage (USA, England-Italy and Germany) is carried out with the aim of highlighting the tools and the logic of the analysis of the Greek press. The second level concerns an analysis of the Greek media, which is my primary research. The objective is to show the narrative frames of the media, the technical character given to stem cells based on the frames and narratives, as well as some public dimensions of the stem cell practices in Greece.
Keywords:
stem cells, history of biomedicine, technology, media, organ production machines, STS
