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embryonic stem cell research pros and cons
embryonic stem cell ethics debate
embryonic stem cell debate
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When one thinks of fatal diseases, what comes to mind? Cancer? Organ failure? Brain damage? All of those things and more could be a thing of the past with the incredible potential of stem cell research. Stem cells are like blank cells that can take the form of other kinds of cells. This gives them the ability to heal damaged areas, or grow replacement tissue for tissue that has been diseased. Stem cells can come from several different places, some of which cause lots of controversy and ethical debate. Because of this, stem cell research is not federally funded by the United States government. But, stem cell research has tons of potential and should get more attention for the greater good of our future. According to Courtney Farrell’s overview of stem cell research, stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be used to fix and replace other kinds of cells that are missing or damaged, and they can be derived from several different sources. The first of these sources, “embryonic” stem cells have been the source of many ethical debates because the process to gain embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of a human embryo in its early stages. Many people find this unethical and think it’s equal to human murder. According to the article by John Pearson, other types of stem cells include adult stem cells, which can be derived from bone marrow in grown adults, and umbilical blood stem cells; these are found in the blood of the umbilical cord after the birth of a baby and are becoming a great replacement for embryonic stem cells. As stated by John Pearson, once a stem cell is gained through one of these processes it is reproduced in a lab and formed into what is known as a “cell line”. Each cell line was started from a differ... ... middle of paper ... ... from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. Lee M. “Point: Stem Cell Research Provides Cures for Diseases.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:2. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. Pearson J. “Point: The Potential of Stem Cell Research.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:5. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. “Stem Cell Research: Guide to Critical Analysis.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:4. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. “Adult Stem Cell Success Stories 2008” by the family research council. http://www.frc.org/insight/adult-stem-cell-sucess-stories-2008-jan-june
Benefits of stem cell research can be overwhelming. Today, millions of people around the world suffer from incurable diseases. Stem cell research could help the scientific community find a breakthrough in developing a cure. By observing stem cells develop into mature human tissue, scientists can better understand how embryos develop. “Normal” human development can be recorded. This knowledge can be used to help prevent birth defects, for instance.
Stem cell research can date back to 1956 and has lead to multiple medical breakthroughs. Stem cells are generic animal cells that can make copies of themselves indefinitely. Therefore, these cells have to ability to become any body part or organ (Cowan). But, getting this resource is what brings up a controversy. Scientists and researchers are gathering human embryos to further study and test stem cells and some people don’t agree with this. The end result of using embryonic stem cells is someone being able to walk again, someone remembering the names of their children, and someone being able to say that he beat cancer. Stem cell research is beneficial to society and should be accepted into labs all around the world.
"NYSTEM." What Are the Potential Benefits of Stem Cell Research?”. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014.
Over the past years, stem cell research has been very famous through the scientific community and the media. Stem cells are pluripotent cells that are present in every single organism on Earth. The power of stem cells are beyond imagination. Stem cells have the power to turn into any type of cells. Some examples are, blood cells, nerves, cardiac muscles, and the list goes on and on. The scientific community has recently taken a large interest in stem cells. They have used stem cells to treat horrible misfortunes that people have been diagnosed with. Some examples of the diseases that are being treated by the use of stem cells are, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord issues, strokes, diabetes, damaged organs, and even cancer! However, despite the infinite potential for medical treatments, the topic of stem cells is surrounded by enormous amounts of controversy. The questions that feed the controversy are about how the stem cells are acquired and about how the gained knowledge would be used. However, it is necessary for mankind to keep stem cell research alive in order to save lives while taking care of any unethical topics about it.
Stem cells are unspecialized, meaning that they have the unique potential to become any other type of cell, such as a red blood cell or a brain cell. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic and somatic. Somatic stem cells are found in adults, and, as far as we know, are only capable of becoming specific types of cells (stem cells in the liver can only become liver cells, stem cells in bone marrow can only become red and white
The issue of stem cell research first began on the scientific scene in November of 1998 when researchers first reported the isolation of human embryonic stem cells. The discovery, made by Dr. James A. Thomson, a biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, offered great promise for new ways of treating diseases through stem cell use. The stem cells, which are derived from several-day-old embryos, can theoretically differentiate into virtually any type of human cell, ranging from blood cells to skin cells (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011). According to the American Medical Association (2013), a stem cell is an immature cell that has the potential to become specialized into different types of cells throughout the body. There are two basic types of stem cells: adult stems cells and embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are produced when a newly fertilized egg begins...
Monroe, Kristen, et al., eds. Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical and Political Issues. Los Angeles/Berkley: University of California Press, 2008. Print
There has been a debate about stem cell research since 1998 when the research teams of James A. Thomson of the University of Wisconsin and John D. Gearhart of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine announced the isolation of human stem cells (Farrell). But before anyone should take a side, one must know what a stem cell is. A stem cell is an unspecialized cell characterized by the ability to self-renew by mitosis while in undifferentiated state, and the capacity to give rise to various differentiated cell types by cell differentiation (Stem Cell). There are three types of stem cells in the human body: embryonic, hematoietic, and adult (Lee). Hematoietic stem cells come from the blood of the umbilical cord (Lee). Adult stem cells are taken from various parts of the body, like bone marrow or tissue. Embryonic stem cells come from a blastocyst, which is a an eight-celled human embryo (Farrell). The blastocyst must be disassembled to obtain the stem cells (Farrell). Researches prefer to work with embryonic stem cells because they are undifferentiated cells, which means they can transform into any cell type in the human body. But there is controversy with embryonic stem cells because the blastocyst has the potential to become a fetus.
Though many people consider stem cell research to be destructive, it actually has the potential to be extremely beneficial, being able to increase the amount of jobs, elevate our understanding of the
What are embryonic stem cells and how are they developed? Embryonic stem cells are collected from the early stages of a fertilized egg called the blastocyst, which is fertilized in an in vitro lab, which is fertilization not in a female body. These embryos are also known as pre embryos because they contain no human organs or features making no form of life visible. The cells are taken from the embryo are known as pluripotent which can develop into any type of body tissue. These pluripotent cells are then put into a plastic laboratory dish that has a nutrient know as the culture medium. The pluripotent cells have the ability to read all information contained in their DNA within their nucle...
Cells, and especially stem cells, are a very fascinating thing that should be of interest to everyone on the planet. In a human there are over 200 different types of cells, and in total
diseases being cured and valuable lives being saved, stem cell research is on the path of
Scientist believe stem cells may have the potential to help us understand, and possibly cure some of the most threatening diseases and conditions which effect many people today. Many scientists, doctors, families and loved-ones and patients have hoped for this change, however stem cell research has brought up various controversies around the globe.
To harvest and use stem cells, the scientists get the stem cells from a culture dish and put them in a place where they won’t differentiate. Instead, the cells will divide and replicate themselves. Once the cells have gone through division, they form a stem cell line. Researchers manage and share these stem cell lines. The cells undergo a process called directed differentiation. This is where scientists manipulate the cells to form specific cell types and test to see if they are
To be able to comprehend the importance of the discovery of stem cells, it is crucial to understand the terms and definitions that go along with the topic of stem cells. A stem cell is derived from a human embryo, scientists are able to keep these stem cells alive and have them replicate after extraction. A human embryo comes into existence from the joining of one sperm and one egg, after the embryo is formed it begins to replicate itself. After ab...