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two sides of stem cell research
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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.
Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...
This report does a fairly comprehensive job on educating the public to the definition of stem cells, describing them as “a diverse group of remarkable multipotent cells that are relatively undifferentiated and unspecialized cells of the body.” Stem cells have the capacity for unlimited self-renewal and the possibility to produce differentiated descendant cell types. The main in...
Embryonic stem cells are derived from a four or five day old human embryo that is in the blastocyst phase of development (see figure 5). The embryo’s that are used for stem cell research, are extra’s that have been created in IVF clinics (in vitro fertilization), that are no longer needed. Embryonic stem cells are totipotent (cells with the potential to develop into any cells in the body). Scientists have discovered an alternative to embryonic stem cells, these cells ...
In 2013 about 580,350 Americans were projected to die of cancer, almost 1,600 people a day. Cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the US, accounting for nearly 1 of every 4 deaths (Cancer Facts). Doctors and scientists are always trying to discover new ways to help battle cancer as well as other diseases. Doctors have tried everything from plants to radiation to try and destroy cancerous cells. Instead of destroying them Scientists and doctors are now trying to replace the old cancerous cells. In order to replace these cells they will need new cells. Stem cell research is the newest way doctors are trying to help with diseases. There are different types of stem cells. Stem cells are cells found primarily in embryos, and they have not yet taken on the characteristics of any particular type of cell, such as bone, muscle tissue or brain matter. The newest research being done is with embryotic stem cells. Embryotic Stem cells have been used in medical therapies to aid patients with many types of diseases; that being said it is imperative that we continue researching, practicing, and funding these medical advancements.
Stem cells have several potential applications. Stem cells can be used to study development by helping us to understand how a complex organism develops from a fertilized egg. Some of the serious medical conditions such as cancer and birth defects which are lead by abnormal cell division and differentiation will have new therapy dealing with stem cell research. Stem cells have the ability to replace damaged cells and treat disease of extensive burns, leukemia (a cancer of blood forming tissues) and other blood disorders. Today, doctor use donated tissues and organs to replace damaged tissue, but the need for the tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. With the stem cells, it can offer the enormous sources of replacement cells and tissues. Third, stem cells could be used to study disease. Today, scientists use stem cells to model disease processes in the laboratory to better understand what goes wrong in the disease genes. Finally, stem cells could provide a resource for testing new medical treatments. Lot of new medications could be tested on specialized cells from stem cell lines which can reduce the animal testing. For example, cancer cell lines are used to screen potential anti tumor drugs to see the effects on cells.
This paper focuses on the benefits of stem cell research in the medical and nursing field. New technology is always being created to help us understand the way the human body works, as well as ways to help us improve diseased states in the body. Our bodies have the ability to proliferate or regrow cells when damage is done to the cells. Take for example the skin, when an abrasion or puncture to the skin causes loss of our skin cells, the body has its own way of causing those cells to regrow. The liver, bone marrow, heart, brain, and muscle all have cells that are capable of differentiating into cells of that same type. These are called stem cells, and are a new medical tool that is helping regrow vital organs in our body to help us survive. Stem cells can come from adult cells, or the blastocyst of the embryo. The cells that come from these are undifferentiated, and can be specialized into certain cell types, making them available for many damaged tissues in the body. While using stem cells in the body is a main use, they are also being used to help doctors understand how disease processes start. By culturing these cells in the lab and watching them develop into muscles, nerve cells, or other tissues, researchers are able to see how diseases affect these cells and possibly discover ways to correct these diseases. While researchers have come very far in using stem cells, there are still many controversies to overcome when using these cells.
Those who favour stem cell research are optimistic about the continued developments in stem cell research will open doors to many breakthrough discoveries in biomedical science. The scientific and ethical questions arise as rapidly as the reaching of milestones in stem cell research. There are two main types of stem cells, namely embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells in our body. But they have restricted-range of cells that they can further differentiate. On the contrary, embryonic stem cells have the ability to differentiate into nearly two hundred cell types in the human body, called pluripotency. The process of harvesting embryonic stem cells involves destruction of embryos (Mooney, 2009).
Within the past few years, scientist have made several breakthroughs with human stem cells. These breakthroughs have catapulted the issue of stem cell research into the middle of a national debate. Most people have no problem with the research itself, however the source of the stem cells (adult or human embryos) used in research is the primary cause of the debate. Some people feel that destroying an embryo is comparable to murder, even if the research it promotes may help people with serious illnesses. Other believe that an embryo is not a person and therefore research on an embryo is the same as research on any other group of cells.
What if there was a cure for cancer or a treatment for spinal injuries? Would you support the research? What if there was a way that you could repair damaged nerves. Some believe that stem cells may hold the answers to some of these questions. What are stem cells and why should you or I even care about them? Some believe that they are a miracle treatment waiting to happen while others believe that stem cells are highly immoral. Why does so much controversy surround the issue? Why is the conversation of stem cells feared by some and praised by others? To some stem cells are the medical hopes for the future, something for us to hang on to as we do battle with major diseases that include cancer, Parkston’s disease and spinal injuries. To others stem cell researchers are murderers who are trying to play God’s hand. A many have pledged their support to stem cell research including a few well known celebrities. Reeves’, who was best known for his role in the early Superman movies, and J. Fox two well-known celebrities, have pledged to stem cell research, both have created a private fund for the research of stem cells. This celebrity however has not swayed everyone to support stem cell researches cause. Just as there are supporters of stem cells there are those who believe that the use of stem cells is immoral. Since the first stem cells were separated there have been doctors, religious groups and even some political figure head have shown their opposition for stem cell research. Even with the knowledge and promise that stem cells show many of those who truly oppose stem cells have not changed their mind. The question is are their reasons good enough to halt the research of stem cell or are they just holding back what will soon be inevi...
For the past few years, there has been a continuous controversy regarding the bioethical issues of stem cells and the pros/cons of its research. In order to understand the clash of opposing opinions on stem cells, it is important to know the root of stem cells, as well as their functions and scientific findings. “Stem Cells are very essential to develop organisms. They are non-specialized cells which have the potential to create other types of specific cells, such as blood, brain, tissue or muscle cells” (Experiment Resources, 2008). In addition, injuries or illnesses that cause dead cells can be replaced with new healthy cells via steam cells (Houdmann, 2010). It has been shown that, “stem cell research strives to achieve the cultivation and nutriment of stem cells, the basic cell of the body, enabling it to be reproduced to other specific parts of the body” (Ganesh, 2010).
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.
Stem cells are the leading innovation in medicine. Currently these cells are being tested to treat a wide range of diseases, injuries, and even cancers. The scope of stem cell based treatment has expanded in recent years due to advances in stem cell research and technologies. Stem cells are generally known for two things, their ability to produce new cells and their ethical controversy. Those who oppose stem cells are typically referring to the collection and use of embryonic stem cells and feel it violates the Catholic value on the right to life. Despite these controversies, the funding for stem cell research is a vital aspect to the growth of medicine, cursing modern disease and providing treatment to those in need and should not be limited
Stem cells research can help the human with cancer, birth defects and help to build normal cells it is only normal that we should research stem cells. Stem cells are special cells that are undifferentiated and have the capability to become many other types of cells. All stem cells have the ability to renew, replicate, and divide; thus, producing new cells. These cells are separated into categories according to their potential to become other types of cells. Two main stem cell types are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells come from four to five day old embryos. They can be found on the inside of the placenta. These stem cells are considered pluripotent, meaning that they can become almost all possible types of
Science can be described as the pursuit of innovation, advancement and opportunity. Stem cells have offered scientists and the world a new doorway to treat diseases and help millions. The major, significant discovery of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into any cell type which can help rebuild damaged organs. One thing for certain is that these cells brought huge controversies over their uses, how scientists should obtain them, and if the embryos should be used at all on the basis that they should be held on the same morals as humans. Although with these monumental issues at hand, researchers have not given up hope that one day these stem cells will be widely accepted and be used for the benefit of the people.
The science world is growing very fast. Stem cells are unique cells in a human body, which have the ability to renew themselves and become specialized into liver cells, kidney cells or spinal cord cells from unspecialized type of cells. Stem Cells have the ability to make a huge positive impact in the medical field. It is important to know the basics of Stem Cells, the difference between the types of Stem Cells, and the possible uses of Stem Cells. Knowing the basics of stem cells is important to understanding how they might positively influence those with different types of medical conditions.