Stem Cells: What How and Why?

Stem Cells: What, How and Why?

Stem cells are infinitely valuable when considering their potential applications in the medical profession. While current legislative restrictions have halted the development of new ?stem cell lines? to any agency or company that receives any form of governmental grants, there is no question that the medical profession is standing at the brink of a new era of technological advancements in healthcare and research.

Stem cells are valuable due to the fact that they are

?non-designated,? (have no specifically assigned task in the body, i.e. liver cells, brain cells, skin cells, etc.) and they also have the ability to divide indefinitely. Thus, theoretically stem cells could replace any damaged or lost specifically designated cells within the body. However, this is just a brief mention of the potential applications of stem cell research, which will be discussed at a later point in this essay. Stem cells are categorized into three genres based upon their potential developmental capability, total to limited.

(NIH PRIMER http://www.nih.gov/news/stemcell/primer.htm)

Totipotent stem cells are stem cells whose potential is total, thus totipotent. Totipotent stem cells are derived from embryonic tissue and fertilized ovarian eggs.

This type of stem cell is of particular importance to researchers due to its ability to ?specialize into extraembryonic membranes and tissues, the embryo, and all postembryonic tissues and organs? (NIH Primer). However these type of cells are extremely difficult to come by and only occur in certain places at certain developmental times.

Pluripotent stem cells are stem cells in which their potential is large but not total as in Totipotent stem cells.

These cells lead to the development of many cells, but cannot derive certain types of fetal cells necessary for the development of a fetus as do Totipotent stem cells. These cells undergo further assigment into cells that are designed to derive specifically assigned cells. Pluripotent stem cells are somewhat easier to come by comparatively speaking to totipotent stem cells.

The final genre of stem cells is that of multipotent stem cells. These cells are more specialized than the other two categories and thus are more restricted in their capability.

Multipotent stem cells are derived from pluripotent stem cells. While pluripotent stem cells are least in their po... ... middle of paper ...

...if a republican president is elected following Bush. Some might say these restrictions are necessary as technology and knowledge expand.

However, by allowing the government to limit was scientist can and can?t do; we?re only doing one thing. Making the most brilliant minds our country has to offer leave. It seems as though America is one of the last overly conservative strongholds left in the modern world. If we allow our government to restrict what scientist can research in the

United States, the scientist will simply move somewhere where the research isn?t illegal. I regard science as a passion. I can say with absolute certainty it is not my passion, however to many who make it their career choice, it is. I offer you this example. My passion is writing, if the government made it illegal to write about what I desired, I would do whatever necessary to allow myself to follow my passion.

Moving across that big pond we call the Pacific Ocean would be a small price to pay to follow my passion and practice it freely. It should be noted that by restricting research of nearly any kind (yes I do have some morals) would simply result in the loss of America?s greatest thinkers.