London creative consultancy crafts fictional product to spark stem cell debate

'Cell Yourself' is a fictional consumer healthcare product created in a collaboration between The Liminal Space and a medical law professor at the London School of Economics. Its aim is to engineer public conversation and debate regarding the creation of embryo models from stem cells.

The project follows on from advancements in science that allow for stem cells to create 3D models of human tissues and organs. From there, models resembling human embryos, organs, sperm, eggs and placentas can be made.

This work by London-based The Liminal Space encourages the public to think about the implications of developing human life through this technology rather than the natural method of egg and sperm.

The Liminal Space therefore sought to create a provocative campaign through Cell Yourself, a fictional product that allows users to convert their cells into new organs or types of biological tissue. The product details the potential consequences including reproduction no longer being limited to age and the possibility of same-sex couples’ offspring sharing the DNA of both parents.

The packaging’s design incorporates a vibrant colour palette of green, yellow and red, while the tone of voice invites curiosity. Meanwhile, the inside of the ‘product’ hopes to keep users engaged. Instructions invite them to collect skin cells with instruments included and place them into a petri-dish. Participants can then ‘feed’ their skin cells using their Starter Nutrients to ‘grow’ an embryo.

Amanda Gore, director of The Liminal Space, explains, “Incredible advancements in stem cell research now enable scientists to take any cell and reprogramme it back to an embryonic state. These reprogrammed cells can be used to grow models that are virtually identical to human embryos. This represents a huge leap forward in scientific understanding, but raises important ethical questions.

“Echoing the impact of the Warnock report in the 1980s, which established that embryos donated through IVF cannot be researched beyond 14 days, our goal was to raise the question of how we regulate for an unknown scientific future, and how we feel about research that could change what it means to be human. Stem cell research is rapidly developing, and it's important that the public is invited into conversations on how far the research should be able to progress. There is potential here to unlock huge gains in healthcare and fertility, but how do we feel about the science that could get us there?”

Gore hopes Cell Yourself will “connect people across ideological divides” and lead to higher quality conversations.