Research On Stem Cell Therapy

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

Many controversial and moral stricken issues have been put into question in today's modern society. Some of which include gay marriage, and abortion. Yet one of the most controversial has to be stem cell research. A Stem Cell is a "generic" cell that can make exact copies of itself indefinitely. It also has the ability to make specialized cells for various tissues in the body such as the heart muscle, brain and liver. But why exactly is stem cell research so controversial? Well mostly those who oppose embryonic stem cell research do so on the grounds that the cells die in the process. But what those people might not know is that an embryo is no bigger than a pinhead. And therefore there is no human suffering. Stem cell

1. How much time and money should be spent on a therapy that may only work after “years of intensive research”? Would this money be better spent on therapies that have a higher likelihood of success?

Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medication, has been an increasingly utilized therapy in recent years. The cells added to the body interact with the surrounding body, making the regenerative process available to begin the healing process of the cells at the site (R. (2014)). These therapies are used to heal common sport injuries such as a knee injury, diseases, arthritis, and many other crippling effects that may occur in the human body (R. (2014)). Many of the stem cells that are used from the therapies can come from bone marrow, fat,and blood from the patient or even cells from more controversial areas such human embryos. Stem cell therapy has shown a lot of promising effects, not only outshining the effects of prescription medicine given out to patients from doctors, but it has also shown that the therapy has long term effects than a steroid would have had.

Advances in medical technology are making it possible for people to get treatment for conditions that were previously either difficult to treat or that required highly invasive surgery. Now, minimally invasive methods of treatment are being developed so that patients who do not have severe or life-threatening health conditions may be able to find relief without the risks and rehabilitation that accompany surgery. One example of a technology that is revolutionizing the field of orthopedics is stem cell therapy, which is a form of regenerative medicine.

As the use of technology increases, will the use of glasses also increase? Will there ever come a time where people can sleep in contacts for months at a time? Will stem cell treatment ever be able to fully correct and prevent vision loss? Questions like these capture my interest in the field of optics. I cannot pinpoint the exact moment my desire to study optometry transpired but since childhood, I have worn glasses and frequented the opticians due to my astigmatism.

“Embryotic stem cell research has the potential to alleviate so much suffering. Surely, by working together we can harness its life-giving potential.” Nancy Reagan (Brainy Quote). Stem cells are cells that have the remarkable qualities to become any cell in the body. A stem cell begins as a “blank canvas” meaning it can end up as whatever the body, or scientist, needs it to be. There are three main types of stems cells: Embryotic stem cells, Adult stem cells, and Cord Blood stem cells. Adult stem cells can be extracted from many places in the body including the brain, bone marrow, liver, heart, and skin (NIH). The Cord Blood stem cells are extracted from the umbilical cord of an infant after birth and can be used just like adult and embryotic stem cells. Adult stem cells are the most commonly used due to the dispute of the ethicality of how embryotic stem cells are obtained. Embryotic stem cells, although the ideal method, are obtained from a human embryo and ultimately destroying the living cell. Although the embryotic stem cells are considered unethical by many, there are other ways to harvest them and an unimaginable amount of ways it could be used in medical treatments.

"In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in stem cells, not just within the scientific and medical communities but also among politicians, religious groups and ethicists,"3 Fiona Watt argued. Although overhearing debates and controversy regarding stem cells on the news, television or conversation is common, many aren’t aware of what the big debate is about or what stem cells truly are. The major argument against stem cell research is that it is morally wrong and unethical. To phrase it simply, a stem cell is an unspecialized cell that has the capability of turning into a cell with a specific job.1 They are different from other kinds of cells in the body for a few different reasons.3 All stem cells, regardless of what specific type are able to divide and renew themselves; they don’t originate specialized but can become specialized in different circumstances like when older cells are damaged.4 When a stem cell divides, it has the choice to become a more specialized cell like a brain cell, muscle cell among others, or to remain a stem cell.1

The scientific knowledge gained from stem cell research has proven very useful, yet the knowledge did not come without the destruction of human embryos. According to Healy, Bernadine P. “The Government Must Regulate Stem Cell Research”, ”stem cells” come from human embryo or fetus that is at its first stage of development in which it is in its single cell form before it starts its development stage or complex stage (Bernadine). What this means is, stem cells, at its single cell stage doesn’t have any function, however, scientist have figured out how to transform stem cell into just about anything they want them to be. For instance, scientist are using stem cells and changing them to anything that is practical to the human body such as grow muscle, skin, nerves and even human appendages. In spite of the advances that have been made because of stem cell research, and the entire groundbreaking medical and scientific advances, scientists want to start clone farming human embryos to further scientific research since human embryos are hard to come by. The problem that comes with stem cell research is the idea that human embryos are very well human being and they need to be treated as such.

Could you imagine having someone close to you who needed nonspecialized cells which have the potential to create other types of specific cells in order to survive? Those cells are called Stem Cells and they are very crucial to develop organisms. Stem cell research is a subject that most people in the world have a different viewpoint on. Some view the issue of stem cell research and stem cell therapy as morally wrong and a crime against humanity, others view the study of stem cells as the next step in modern science (Reeve.) I think in some twisted way, stem cell research can be useful.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that are defined by their ability to self renew and differentiate into specialized cells (1). Stem cells function in body tissues as a repair mechanism, with an unlimited ability to divide and restock cells as needed by the body. Each time a stem cell divides, the new cell formed can either remain a stem cell or differentiate into a specialized cell, such as a brain cell. Traditionally, there are two main types of stem cells: human embryonic stem cells [HESCs] and adult somatic stem cells. In 1981,embryonic stem cells were the first type of stem cell to be discovered (2). Embryonic stem cells originate from four-to-five day old embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development. The embryos used to derive stem cells are usually extras that were created using in vitro fertilization and not implanted (2).

There are five different types of stem cells that have contributed to research involving cures for diseases and permanent injuries.

For the past generation, biological scientists’ main focus has been on genetics and DNA, but in recent years, stem cell research has become more of the primary focus in the world of medicine. Scientists see the next ten years as being monumental in the growth of biology, as stem cells continue to amaze them with their potential to save and improve the quality of human life. These cells have the possibility to save millions of people with diseases thought to be incurable. However, there is controversy about the use of certain types of stem cells. Some stem cells are obtained from the cells of an early stage embryo, therefore preventing further development into a human being. This, to some, is equivalent to taking a human life. Fortunately, it is becoming more apparent that the use of stem cells from adult tissue, such as bone marrow stem cells, also has large potential to improve and cure disease and prolong human life. The important thing is that the development of stem cells have the ability to change the future of human health forever.

Hai Nguyen, Aileen Anderson and colleagues: carried a similar exercise on injured mice to record tremendous success of the donor cells in a period ranging immediately after the induction process to at most one month (Society for Neuroscience. 2017).

Background: In this study, the use of embryonic stem cell therapy as a treatment for hemophilia A in mice was tested. Mouse blastocysts, lacking factor VIII (FVIII), were injected with embryonic stem cells expressing green-fluorescent protein (GFP). The blastocysts were then transferred to pseudopregnant mice in order to produce chimeric mice, and the expression of FVIII in those mice was analyzed. The green-fluorescent protein was used to ensure the successful implantation of the embryonic stem cells. After 6 months, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to determine the presence of both FVIII and GFP in the genome of the mice livers. As a result of the PCR, FVIII and GFP were expressed in three of the five chimeric mice. Next,