Stem Cell Research
Stem Cell Research
Stem cells are located deep down in our bone marrow. They have the incredible ability of “generating an endless supply of red cells, white cells, and platelets”(1). They have been called the “Mother of all blood cells” due to their ability to regenerate the entire blood supply of a persons body. Just to think that this is possible is actually pretty incredible. The man who claims to be responsible for the discovery of this gem is a immunologist from Stanford University named Irving Weissman, and his collaborators at SyStemix, (a biotech company that he cofounded in 1988, located in Palo Alto, CA). He and his company are so confident about these cells, not only have they obtained a government patent on the process by which these specific cells are separated from other cells, they have also patented the cells themselves. They have even convinced Sandoz Ltd. (a giant Swiss drug-and-chemical company) to purchase 60 percent of the stock for SyStemix for a reported 392 million dollars.
Stem cells are very valuable for many reasons, some of which are as follows: by giving patients the ability to make an entirely new supply of blood, they make it possible for the immune system to regenerate itself. In doing this, it could feasibly allow medical breakthroughs for treating diseases like cancer and AIDS. There is much controversy over who actually should have taken credit for the discovery of stem cells. Back in the 1960's James Till and Ernest McCulloch (from the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto ) discovered that after mice were injected with bone marrow cells their spleens developed “nodules” on them, and, upon studying these nodules they noticed that they were loaded with white and red blood cells. They also discovered that, additionally, these cells were able to reproduce themselves. These men said that, “All blood cells arise from a few hematopoietic stem cells, which are hidden away in bone marrow”(2). On the average, these cells produce an ounce of new blood (260 billion new cells) every day. Weissman was studying medicine at Stanford when the before mentioned men developed their theory, and it fascinated him. He decided to pursue the study and see where he could go with it. He soon began to study white cells backwards,...
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...ted. He is right, really. I don't think that if I had money to invest in something, I wouldn't do it either.
This article is quite old, I noticed it was from 1995, almost 9 years ago, and I can't believe how much further technology has taken us. There have been many advancements in the stem cell study. It is an even bigger controversy now, however. Scientists have found that the highest concentration of stem cells in a persons body comes from their umbilical cord after they are born. They want to create embryo's and use the stem cells from them to help someone else. To me, this is like the cloning issue. I don't think that we should be cloning people pretty much for spare parts like livers, kidneys, etc. It would be like a factory of torso's. It would be gruesome to go into a place that is full of partial bodies, with no heads or souls, and go harvest organs when the time or need arises. That is just too much. The article was pretty informative, and I did learn many things that I did not know previously.
Work Cited
Redetsky, Peter. “The Mother of All Blood Cells”.
Discover Magazine March 1995: 1-7
Stem cell research has always been a widely debated topic in 'social and political forums' ever since the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. In that case the Supreme Court gave women the right to have an abortion whether or not they have a medical reason to. Whereas beforehand 'they needed a medical reason'. This "sparked controversy" over stem cell research with aborted fetuses. For many of those in favor of using fetal tissue for research it has too much "potential" in the future of medicine in terms of providing cures for diseases and "". Those against fetal tissue research believe it unethical to take one human life in order to preserve another.
He is criticizing the market society because it has become a place where everything is on sale, and in the text he lists some examples, like jumping the queue or providing surrogate uterus, or paying people for let them provide organs or blood, sell the right of residence... those are only some cases of invasion of the market logic. Nothing seems to be saved from money.
Peter Singer argues that if we have the ability to prevent something bad from happening, without sacrificing anything of similar moral importance, we ought to do it. He states that in a presentation of TED, that widespread death from starvation, diseases and many other death related issues, are still taking victims all around the world but though the life expectancy has been getting better since 2011. Since Singer believes that poorness is bad, we are (related to what’s right and wrong) obligated to help the poor in poorer countries. He believes that we can 'Sacrifice' part of our salary without causing any complications to our life especially comparably bad to other parts of the world. He points out that we are morally wrong if we spend unnecessary
Contributing more money would itself harm me enough to excuse my failing to save any single life directly at that cost.
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.
Because stem cells are essentially a blank slate, scientists are theoretically capable of growing any human tissue cell. There is enormous medical potential in this. Stem cell research is the next step in advancing the medical field. It is comparable to the discovery of penicillin or the inoculation for smallpox.
The history of using stem cells in experimentation dates back to 1998 with Dr. James Thompson. A biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Thompson discovered that embryonic stem cells that were isolated with other types of cells would transform into that type. This led to the assumption that stem cells could be used to advance medicine because they could possibly treat injuries and diseases (AAAS, 2012).
A more recent discovery, made in 2014, stem cells are being created from cells of young mice, this involves taking mature cells from mice and turning them into embryonic like stem cells, this new technique has not yet been tested in humans.
Special cells that are taken from human embryos, called embryonic stem cells (ES cells), actually possess the power to save your life. These cells can serve many medical purposes and have the ability to benefit people in infinite ways.
...ff every month you have to pay interest, which is a waste of money because you paying extra for that money you spent. This is just a couple of examples of how we waste money in today’s society; the list goes on and on. From the interest on loans, to buying a $3 Starbucks drink. We are so spoiled as Americans that some people don’t even think about it. However, it also goes down to it being your money, if you earned it, you should be able to spend it on what you want, even if it is a total waste in someone else’s eyes. That’s the joy of being an American, being free, and being able to do whatever we want with your money without being contested for doing so. However, that doesn’t mean that we should not do something’s to conserve our resources because it can benefit you, but it also can benefit other people that may not have the same luxuries that other people have.
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.
The technologies used are peripheral blood stem cells and bone marrow stem cells. They can be obtained by drawing blood which makes them easier to gather than stem cells from bone marrow. This is usually challenging because these blood stem cells aren’t very populated in the bloodstream. Bone marrow stem cell technology has been used for more than twenty years. According to the National Cancer Institute:
Many people in today?s world seem to think that when they buy something new that they have thrived to own it will give them a ?hug? show compassion or love towards them, but the simple fact is that it won?t. Money cannot buy love, it can only be given and taken as a show of respect for others. Almost everyone in this world has fallen into the same trap, thinking that money will bring them happiness. We can all agree that having money is a nice experience and may make you happy for a short period of time but cannot stand in place of the affection (tenderness as Morrie puts it). I am sure that each one of us realizes Morrie?s statement to coincide with their own thoughts and beliefs but it seems to me that everyone is afraid of showing tenderness but even more afraid of loosing it so they venture into something such as money for a guaranteed ?
he who doesn't . pays it.” Einstein’s quote makes it easy to understand the concept of compounding interest. If you do not understand how to invest your money correctly, you will end up paying instead of earning. After watching the documentary, I reflected on my spending and investing habits and realized that I needed to make some changes.
Most other people are against this because their tax dollars pay for someone elses cure for their disease.