Review of Research Paper on Creating Home-Made Stem Cells

Others develop into muscle cells that can contract and also into nerve cells. Because they have the potential to become such a wide variety of specialized cells, embryonic stem cells are described as pluripotent. Plurip.0otency is one of two key features of embryonic stem cells. The second key feature of embryonic stem cells is their ability to divide or self renew for an indefinite period while retaining their undifferentiated, pluripotent state. As the cell mass grows, the population can be further expanded by growing in larger tissue culture flasks. An unlimited number of undifferentiated, pluripotent stem cells can be produced (Sumanas Inc. 2007).

Embryonic stem-cells may not be the only source of pluripotent cells that science can find. Some of the keys to pluripotency have been discovered, although in a very limited fashion. Steve Mitchell writes about this in “Adult Stem Cells Potential

Thesis: Stem cell research is a great example for the controversial uprisings by advances in bio-medical research. There are many different pros and cons when it comes to discussing the use of stem cells. In order to develop an opinion of whether or not stem cells should be used, one must first understand what they are and how they are used. Moreover, I will point out how stem cell research is beneficial in today's society.

Pluripotent stem cells are the stem cells that can only differentiate into a limited range of differentiated cells. (2) They have the ability to give rise to all somatic cells from ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm, as well as gametes. Naturally it can be found in embryos as Embryonic stem cells (ES cells). Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells or iPSC) are the pluripotent stem cells that are generated directly from adult cells, first discovered by Shinya Yamanaka in 2006 by using a set of reprogramming factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc or LIN28 and Nanog) (3) to reprogram mature cells back to a pluripotent state (4).

This article discusses the successful use of experimental stem cell treatments within a variety of clinical trials, discussing the two main types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. The article draws on research published by the Massachusetts Family Institute, "a pro-life group that is opposed to the use of embryonic stem cells" to illustrate the successful use of adult stem cells to reverse the effects of, or cure entirely, a number of severe diseases such as Crohn's disease and lupus. It also references a report by Medical Use Today which highlights encouraging experiments with embryonic stem cells that appear capable of reversing paralysis caused by spinal injuries. Written for religious audience tolerant of scientific advancements, the article focuses almost entirely on the positive aspects of experimental stem cell research, and cites studies that support its preconceptions on the subject. The author, a former "instrument development and computer science professional," possesses a scientific background which informs the construction of the article's overall argument. I found this article by searching the Ontartio Consultants on Religious Tolerance essay database, found at ReligiousTolerance.org.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and are obtained from the inner mass of a 4-5 day old human blastocyst that consists of approximately 100 cells (“Stem cell research,” 2009).

Amniotic stem cells are found in the amniotic fluid around a child just before it is born (Mayo Clinic Staff). Amniotic stem cells are primarily used for organ regenerations because there is a very rare chance that they will cause an immune system attack. Embryonic stem cells make up an entire embryo as it is developing. Embryonic stem cells, also known as blastocysts, start forming into vital organs, such as the heart and lungs, before the embryo is even a week old ("Stem Cell Information"). Adult stem cells, called somatic stem cells, are found in anyone who is no longer a fetus. They could be found in children and fully grown adults. Adult stem cells, however, are limited to what they can produce. They can only maintain and repair the tissue they are For example, the stem cells in adults can only be found in bone marrow, blood cells and fat cells (Mayo Clinic Staff). Adult stem cells still have the potential to be useful for society. Researchers are trying to alter the genes inside of an adult stem cell to make it more adaptable like an embryonic cell ("Stem cells: What they are and what they do"). These stem cells are called induced pluripotent cells and they cannot be used for curing any diseases because when you change the genetic makeup of something, you cannot always get the predicted outcome, so further research must be

As stated previously, embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells derived from embryos. According to the NIH, “Most embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro” (Stem Cell Basics).Vitro Fertilization is a technique that unites the sperm and egg in a laboratory instead of inside a female. These stem cells are then donated for research with the donors consent (Stem Cell Basics). According to Michael Zawada and Karen Kalumuck, these cells are usually donated by those who have extra embryos. Then the cells are put in a dish where they replicate. The embryonic stem cells are then analyzed after six months of growth to see if they have differentiated or stayed pluripotent. If the embryonic stem cells have not differentiated, they are referred to as a embryonic stem-cell line.

There are two main types of human stem cells—embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells (“Stem Cell Basics,”

“The proliferative and developmental potential of human ES cells promises an essentially unlimited supply of specific cell types for basic research and for transplantation therapies for diseases ranging from heart disease to Parkinson's disease to leukemia” (Thomson &Yu, 2006). As stated by Junying Yu and James A. Thomson, it is true that embryonic stem cells are very adaptable and hold many mysteries in medical science, but why are they so heavily debated upon? Embryonic stem cells, or pluripotent cells, are cells derived from embryos that have the potential to become any bodily cell. Research of these cells allows us to understand human development and how disorders or illnesses form as people grow older. The main controversy that surrounds

Embryonic stem cell research is the more controversial of the two major types of stem cells. These types of stem cells are taken from embryos that were produced through in vitro fertilization. Most embryos used for stem cell research are taken from those donated after in vitro fertilization. Once the embryo that is to inserted back into the woman?s body is chosen, scientists use the left over embryos to extract stem cells. After about four or five days after fertilization, the egg becomes a group of cells called a blastocyst. The inner cell mass of the blastocyst contains about thirty cells that can be extracted. Once extracted, the cells are put into a culture dish which contains a nutrient broth or culture medium. The culture dish has been coated with mouse skin cells in the past. This gives the stem cells something to attach to. Recently, researchers have been able to grow stem cells without the use of the mouse cells. This eliminates the risk of any contamination that the mouse cells may have caused. In this dish, the cells divide and grow in number. As the cells grow and begin to crowd the original plate, they are carefully removed and placed into

Stem cells not only exist in developing embryonic cells but also in the adult nervous system of all mammalian organisms which include humans. Stem cells can also be derived from developing mammalian nervous system. Embryonic stem cells have vast possibility in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as they have the capacity to produce each type of cell and tissue in the body. On paper, it could revolutionize the way human diseases and organ transplants are treated by creating any type of cell in a laboratory whenever needed. However, like any type of biological research there is bound to be many ethical issues that surround it and with the study of embryonic stem cells there are many who would call it inhumane as they would say an embryo is life and by destroying one it would be murder. However, in 2006 some researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have identified a way to produce cells with a stem cell like state without having to use embryos as testing. Their research has allowed them to recognised conditions that would create reprogrammed undifferentiated adult and human cells from already specialised cells skin, hair.

In a world with science and medicine advancing everyday, one of the most promising and exciting discoveries ever made were stem cells. Scientists discovered an undifferentiated cell that could morph into anything they needed it to, from skin all the way to a liver. The only problem that arose was the fact that undifferentiated stem cells could only be harvested from embryos. As advances in research were made, along came the discovery of adult stem cells, umbilical stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Although science is advancing, scientific research continues to be conducted on stem cells harvested from embryos and aborted fetuses despite the social, political, and ethical arguments against it and the growing potential for stem cells to be collected from adults, umbilical cords, and induced pluripotent stem cells.

There are two expansive lines of stem cell research, which involve multipotent stem cells and pluripotent stem cells. Multipotent stem cells are stem cells which can only specialise into cells of the same type of tissue, for example muscle stem cells can only become specialised muscle cells. This type of stem cell are known as adult stem cells and are found in the brain, blood, muscles, skin, bone marrow and other fully developed parts of the body. On the other hand, pluripotent stem cells can differentiate and specialise into any cell of the body. These are embryonic stem cells which are found in embryo’s that are five to seven days old, and umbilical cords. In 2006, Shinya Yamanaka, a scientist in Japan discovered that stem cells could also be generated from mature, fully specialised cells. These stem cells are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, and are reprogrammed so that they can mimic embryonic stem cells and become every type of cell.

To find the specific combination required to induce pluripotency, Yamanaka and Takahashi observed the effect of removing certain factors. A total of ten factors were noted to have critical effect on the early growth of cells; removal of any of these ten factors resulted in no colony growth within the first ten days of culturing. Furthermore, when these ten genes were combined, Yamanaka and Takahashi noted that the resulting cells were more similar to ES cells than cells with all 24 factors were transduced. Out of these ten factors, further factors were withdrawn; when factors Oct ¾ or Klf4 were removed no G418 resistant colonies formed. Moreover, when Sox2 was removed minimal colonies formed. While resistant colonies still formed despite the removal of c-Myc, the colonies had a distorted morphology from regular ES cells (Figure 1). The