Why Are Stem Cells Important

Stem cells are extremely important necessities in multicellular organisms, such as animals and humans. They are used to repair damaged tissues by the process of cell division and they can also transform into different tissues and organs.1 Stem cells are important because they have the ability to aid with diseases, such as leukemia. They also generate specialized cells, meaning that without stem cells, important organs that power the human body would not exist.2

Stem cells have multiple unique properties. They are unspecialized, which means that they have no distinct function. They have the ability to replicate multiple times, unlike other cells such as muscle, nerve and blood cells.3 Stem cells can also differentiate themselves into different types of cells; their ability to do so is called potency.4

Stem cells are classified into two different types of cells; embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any type of cell. They are mainly found in freshly fertilized eggs, also known as an embryo.5 Adult stem cells are unspecialized and serve the purpose of repairing the tissue they reside in with the use of cell division.6 They are found in tissues and organs along with differentiated cells. There are some similarities and differences regarding these two different types of stem cells. Apart from their abilities and place of origin, embryonic stem cells are very commonly found whereas adult stem cells are rarely found in mature tissues and they are difficult to isolate from their tissue of origin.7

Induced pluripotent stem cells are adult stem cells that have been redirected to enter embryonic stem cells. They are used to test and create drugs as well as modeling diseases.8 The goal of induced pluripotent stem cells is to gain knowledge on how to repair damaged tissues by reprogramming

cells.8

Gaining knowledge about stem cells is key for determining how we can use them in medicine. If scientist determine how undifferentiated stem cells form tissues and organs, it could result in a better understanding of how diseases and issues regarding cell division and differentiation, such as birth defects and cancers, are formed and how they can be treated.9

Although stem cells hold great medical promise, there are ethical issues shown by the population of Canada. In order to gain information regarding embryonic stem cells, scientist use fertilized eggs, also known as blastocysts. Many people are against the use of blastocysts for scientific research due to the fact that they in the cycle to become human. Although they are not self-aware or conscious, many people believe that they deserve to be treated with respect due to their future of being human.10 In order for stem cell research to continue, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research stated that both the man and woman that donated their sperm and ova must give consent to the use of their unborn offspring for research.10