Exploring the Potentials of Human Stem Cells

Throughout the past few decades, scientific discoveries in the medical world have advanced tremendously. One rapidly growing field is the use of human stem cells, which possess the capacity to divide and give rise to identical stem cells, and even to form new specific types of somatic tissue cells. The categorical term “stem cell” can be divided even further into two specific types: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are cells which can only be derived from preimplantation embryos, and have proven the ability to form cells of all tissue types; they are pluripotent. Alternatively, there are adult stem cells, which are undifferentiated and begin growing in the earliest stages of life and remain in the body forever.

Cancer arises from cancer stem cells, and these cells are difficult to find and target because they comprise only a small portion of cells in a solid tumor. In order to treat this, young, non-cancerous cells, such as embryonic stem cells, are used to suppress the cancer cells. One strategy in performing this treatment is the placement of cell receptor genes into stem cells, generating lymphocytes to fight the cancer cells. There is also a way to identify and prevent cancer by characterizing different stem cell populations found in the various areas of the body, and determining if lesion-formation could later develop into cancer. In that sense, the use of embryonic stem cell research paves the way for not only curing a host of diseases, but also identifying the potential threat of disease development. Conversely, as with any treatment, there lies room for possible risks. A few of the risks associated with embryonic stem cell research include the following: immune responsivity and the potential for unwanted differentiation. In addition to scientific risks, many people struggle with the moral and ethical side of this particular