Stem Cell research and its funding have caused a lot of controversy throughout the past years. Stem cells are cells that are present in all living organisms. These cells have the potential to grow into any type of cell, including blood cells, nerves, muscles, and pancreatic cells. Stem cell research is essential because of the beneficial aspects it has to offer. Stem cells could potentially treat conditions such as Alzheimer 's, Parkinson 's, birth defects, strokes, Diabetes, cancer, and help in the reconstruction of severely damaged organs. Although stem cell research withholds great potential for many medical advances, a lot of controversy surrounds the sources and methods of obtaining stem cells and the possibility of improper usage of the knowledge acquired from research and experimentation. It is necessary for scientist to continue research as well as recognizing any ethical issues that may be present.
Stem cell therapy has helped researchers learn more about the growth of human cells and their development Stem cell therapy has many medical benefits. Researcher found a way to use stem cell to clone animals and organs. Stem cell therapy shows unlimited potential in the treatment of a number of conditions like Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, cancer, diabetes and possible organ failure. Stem cell research will allow scientists to test a number of potential medicines and drugs without continuing experimental test on animals and humans. The drug can be tested on a population of cells directly.
Discoveries from stem cells have been substantial within the last 20 years, with breakthrough treatments for diseases and conditions previously thought to be incurable. For instance, the case of Portuguese patient Silvio, who, due to an accident, suffered Grade A spinal cord injury, and “was left with no movement of his legs and minimal
Any time someone had to get a lung transplanted there would be no need to find a donor; and once the lung was transplanted, the patient would not have to receive drugs afterwards, because his immune system would automatically accept the lung. Also, organs that cannot possibly be donated and accepted in a new body, like spinal tissue, could be duplicated. This means if an individual was paralyzed, hers or his spinal tissue could be duplicated by stem cells and then transplanted. In addition, it may become possible, with embryonic stem cells, to generate healthy heart muscle cells in the laboratory and then transplant those cells into patients with chronic heart disease. Through the use of embryonic stem cells, brain cells and many other cells can be cultured and then transplanted into a patient to cure Alzheimer's disease and other brain and heart related diseases. A person diagnosed with diabetes, a disease in which a person is unable to produce insulin, can have cells cultured to form insulin producing cells and have them transplanted. Because of the limited number of cells adult stem cells are able to produce; these diseases would be unable to be cured through their use. Stem cells could also be used to test new drugs. With this achievement scientists could be able to cure cancer and many other diseases. This would reduce the view of cancer as a fatal disease, to something that can be overcome, such as a common cold. Patients
To make the use of stem cells helpful to the patient they must come from that person. If not, there is a possibility of the stem cells being rejected. Currently, only adult stem cells have been transplanted into humans, with embryonic stem cells missing out. If a person stores their stem cells earlier in life, the usefulness of them would be extremely high later in life (Preserving Stem Cells). A stem cell is more advantageous at a younger age, thus why embryonic stem cells extraordinarily useful.
When a patient is faced with a terminal illness or is told that they will never walk again, it may be difficult to find hope of any kind. Stem Cells provide a faint glimmer of hope, with all the amazing things they, in theory, are able to do and cure. What kind of stem cells are we talking about though? Embryonic, Adult, or Cord Blood? All these possess the ability to replicate themselves as well as become any type of cell (Harvard Gazette). As with any incredible feat there is more often than not a “catch.” Many questions arise when we think about the sacrifices, risks and benefits. It is a matter of where we owe our obligations, to the embryo or to the thousands of people who are suffering and dying with incurable diseases. A diverse
Also, there is the concern for the risk of disease caused by stem cells that has people standing against the use of the stem cells. The number one concern with the iPSCs is cancer, due to the virus used to
Stem cells should definitely be researched and experimented on. Doctors and scientists have high hopes that stem cells in the future can cure many conditions and diseases. The diseases that can be likely
Embryonic Stem Cell research can cause tumors from rapid growth when injected into patients. (Institute of Creation Research). The use of Embryonic Stem Cell Research on human organs can include continued use of drugs to prevent rejection from the human body. The research may be difficult because of the many existing stem cell lines that were grown with the nourishment of mouse cells. (Institute for Creation Research). There are more risks to consider when using the Embryonic Stem Cell research. In Conclusion, the Embryonic Stem Cell research has no future promise of a cure, and it should not be funded by the Federal
A stem cell is a cell in the body that can differentiate into almost any other type of cell in the body. Stem cells come from sites in the bone marrow, as well as the tissues of developing fetuses. The most controversial issue in stem cell therapy is the use of fetuses for their stem cells. Scientists want to clone human embryos, and use the stem cells long before the embryo matures (when it is only about 36 cells). This causes a large amount of unease in society, because people fear that stem cells and therapeutic cloning will lead us into disgusting and horrible experimental practices, as well as therapies. Most people in America do not want this horrible vision of the future to come
Because of stem cells regenerative qualities, many scientists hypothesize that eventually we can use stem cells on a large scale to assist us to regenerate damaged tissue within the body especially when transitioning organ donations, or prosthetics into an individual, ultimately making it a safer practice.
May be a treatment for many cancers because doctors will be able to remove the organs affected by cancers and then use the patient's own stem cells to regrow their organ.
Firstly, the use of embryonic stem cells, which that are advocated as the best stem cells to used due partly to their ease of regeneration and freedom from disease, often results in the killing of an embryo. As this denying an upcoming human being the right to life, many ethical questions have been raised. Stem cells, especially adult stem cells, cannot be grown in a culture for a long period, and they often pose a challenge as it is difficult to distinguish them from others. Also, there is no current technology on how to produce stem cells in large quantities. These drawbacks have posed challenges regarding how large-scale production can be achieved for medical purposes. Stem cell transplants sometimes become impossible, as there is no current process in the human body that can bring about their regeneration. These cells may result in tumors if used recklessly from undistinguished cultures. Adult stem cells also may pose big challenges regarding compatibility, especially when cells derived from one person are used in another. Another point is that the cells may lead to genetic problems that may affect the recipient negatively. In addition, the cells lack a method of reproducibility and maintenance, which often pars their multiplication. Finally, those found in cultures sometimes age and
The discovery of stem cells and their unique ability to differentiate into any type of cell has brought hope to many people suffering from incurable diseases. However, with this discovery, there has been continued controversy in both stem cell research and using stem cells as therapy. For many incurable conditions, that have little to no treatment, the potential for receiving a “miracle” stem-cell therapy offers a sliver of hope to many of these hopeless individuals. Stem cell research and its potential resulting treatments are often the only possible hope for individuals with paralysis or a degenerative disorder.
Many of us have all heard the saying that a “lizard can lose its tail,” and bizarrely enough it will grow back. This was always considered impossible for humans, an idea belonging in the realm of science fiction, but now the regeneration of tissue is an extremely realistic possibility. Despite some opinions, this process does not happen naturally, or take place as cinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research.