MAGIC CELLS
BRANDON STAUDACHER
MRS. PEARSON
RESEARCH WRITING
MARCH 30, 2017
For many people, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other neurological issues are a difficult obstacle. However, imagine a world where these problems could be solved. Scientists believe that one day, that could be our world. With the use of stem cells, it would be possible to replace cells that have been killed by disease. Stem cell research has been around for about 30 years, but hasn’t been widely practiced due to the many people who have major ethical problems with it and the ban in which removed federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Since a large majority of stem cell research involves the use embryos, a lot people
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Coming up with ton’s of information, I realized that I needed to narrow down my search a bit. In the beginning, all I was looking for was some information that would inform me on what stem cells are, in order to get a better understanding of what I was in for. After narrowing down my search, I came across a chapter from the “Journal of Medical Ethics” by T. Hviid Nielsen. This chapter, which was titled “What happened to Stem Cells?” was a very good start to my research, it gave me more of a basic understanding of what stem cells are and only a small portion on what they do. The deeper I read into this source, the more it began to focus on stem cells being unable to break the controversy that comes with them. After finishing reading this source, I had many more wonders about this topic like what else can these stem cells do, and what makes them so …show more content…
This quote is a perfect comparison of the importance of stem cells, but before we can talk about stem cells, we must first cover the cell. Cells are the fundamental units of life and make up every living thing, There are millions of cells in the human body, but “...as different as these cells are, they all have the same origin; the totipotent cells of the human embryo.” (Lakshminath 179) This is not the only importance that these totipotent cells hold, each cell also holds the possibility of developing into an embryo, this is where stem cells come in.
There are a few different kinds of stem cells. These different type of stem cells depends on where it came from. As of now, there are only a couple sources for stem cell’s. The first kind of stem cells are adult stem cell. These adult stem cells can be obtained from specialized tissue in both children and adults. Since these cells are older, they are further along in the differentiation process, meaning they can only change into a few types of cells instead of the 200 that comes with embryonic stem cells. This is also called being pluripotent. (Miller
Stem cell research has been quite a controversial topic since its origin in the 1960s by Gopal Das and Joseph Altman. Of course, anything that uses a human embryo would be. Stem cell research could open a vast number of new doors for modern science, it could let us test new drugs, one of which could be the unfound cure for AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. However, this branch of science comes at a high price, the price of a human life that is only five to six days
There are two different types of stem cells; unlimited and limited. Unlimited stem cells come from embryos and are referred to as embryonic stem cells (ES Cells), these cells are more medically valuable than limited stem cells. They are referred to as unlimited stem cells because they have the ability to develop into any type of cell of tissue in the human body. Limited stem cells come from adult bone marrow or umbilical cord blood cells. Limited stem cells are more rare because they are harder to obtain and can only be found in some developed
Stem cells are basically the building blocks of life. Some type of these cells can be engineered into any type of cell in the human body. There are three types of stem cells currently. Adult or somatic stem “cells can generate replacements for bone and muscle cells that are lost through injury, disease or normal wear and tear.” Another type of stem cells are embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells “are “starter cells” that can be coaxed into becoming any of the specialized cells of the body, meaning they are “pluripotent.” The final type of stem cells are induced-pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells “are adult stem cells that have been genetically altered to behave like embryonic stem cells”(National Institute of Health). Due to the advancement in medical technology scientists and doctors alike are now able to use stem cells for a variety of reasons like research and also in patient care. The benefits of this research can lead to the cure of diseases like diabetes, some cancers, and even neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and spinal cord injuries. The controversy behind stem cells lie from where these stem cells come from. The source of stem cells are plentiful. Some stem cells can come from human embryos that are a few days old. Stem cells can also be engineered in a laboratory setting using the cells from human embryos. Also there are certain stem cells that can be harvested from adults and
First of all an understanding of what a stem cell is, where it comes from, and the significance of it's medical potential is essential. Stem cells are the "master cells" that form the human body or whatever other animal it is from. Stem cells can be extracted from adult tissues, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood ( ), and embryos in the blastocyst stage. Although scientists have found ways to manipulate the stem cells from adult sources into other types of cells, they claim that they are less capable of deriving the desired tissue and are not "biologically equivalent" ( ) to stem cells extracted from embryos.
The paramount reason embryonic stem cell research should be funded by the government is that it could lead to cures to some of our world’s most devastating diseases. According to Mayo Clinic, “People who might benefit from stem cell therapies include those with spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke,
Stem cells are cells which can essentially form into any type of cell that can be found in the body. There are various types of stem cells. These include embryonic, adult, genetically reprogrammed adult stem cells, and perinatal stem cells. The most versatile, as well as controversial, type of stem cells are embryonic stem cells. These cells are found in 3-5 day old embryos which are formed through in vitro fertilization ("Stem Cell Basics" 1). While scientists have been able to reprogram adult stem cells to act as if they were embryonic, there is yet to be any conclusive evidence as to how the use of the altered cells will affect humans ("Stem cells: What they are and what they do" 1). The use of stem cells is largely focused on regenerative medicine which takes advantage of the stem cells versatility to create and replace damaged tissues in
Stem cells are different from normal cells because they don't have a specific type. They can become any cell. Since now a days many organs are in high demand and a matter of life or death for some people, it is important for medical research.
Stem cell research is extremely prevalent in today’s society, and on the other hand controversial. When thinking of stem cell research many questions, and challenges arise from it. Some problems that arise from the topic of stem cell research involves, religious beliefs, personal, and ethical beliefs. In the next few paragraphs the facts of stem cell research will be mentioned, and questions will be answered with factual evidence.
Stem cell research is a highly debated topic in today’s scientific community. Some see the problem as sacrificing the lives of unborn children to save the lives of others or let millions of people suffer from diseases that could be cured; however, it does not have to be as black and white as that. I believe that with proper funding better, safer, and less controversial ways of cultivating stem cells can be found. Stem cells could provide the answers to many of the problems facing the medical community today, save countless lives.
Scientists and researchers believe that Human Embryonic Stem Cells hold potential cures for numerous diseases in today's society, including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, Hodgkin's disease, hundreds of immune system and genetic disorders, spinal cord injuries, heart disease and just about every type of cancer. In today's world there's over a million Americans who suffer from deadly diseases, not only adults but innocent children that deserve to live a healthy life. These deadly diseases can be cured or treated in a more effective way than they are treated now with the help of the human embryonic stem cells. According to the Poll on "American views on stem cell research in the wake of the death of Ronald Reagan" which was prepared for results of America, shows that a sum of 73% highly supports and somewhat support this controversial process (Results of America, 2004). Even though this topic has brought continuous political attacks and very limited funding, Human Embryonic Stem cell research has made considerable contribution to the battle against disabilities and incurable diseases. A great example of success by using human embryonic stem cells was made by Dr. Hans Keirstead in the Roman Laboratory at UC Irvine; he restored myelin insulation around damaged nerves, returning motion to partially paralyzed rats. (Journal of Neuroscience, 2005) .
Stem Cells are cells that are blank and don’t have a certain function, so they can turn into any type of cell and do lots of functions in different parts of the body. There are two basic types of Stem Cells which are Embryonic Stem Cells and Adult Stem Cells. The Embryonic Stem Cells are normally used for research because they can usually produce cells for every tissue in the body. The Adult Stem Cells are usually not used for research because they generally only produce certain cell types such as skin and muscle. Since the Embryonic Stem Cells are mainly used for research, they use these stem cells to research causes of genetic defects in cells and used to research how diseases occur or why certain cells develop into cancer cells. Some advantages
Stem cells research is one of the most powerful areas of medicine that is both researched and passionately argued. The web page of National Institute of Health (NIH) describes that stem cells are unspecialized cells that are capable of renewing themselves through cell division and they can also be induced to become tissue or organ-specific cells with special functions. Stem cells have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Many individuals believe that there are ethical concerns with stem cell research because they come from destruction of perfectly good embryo however stem cells can be used for cell-based therapies, heart
Stem cells have the potential to make a large positive impact in the medical field. It is important to know the basics of stem cells, the potential of organ growth, the potential of testing new drugs and the added benefit of treating major illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Diabetes. Like any part of new medical researches there are questions and controversies that come with it. Stem cells are very complex and should be studied more with more funding added to better understand this new advancement.
In the human body, there are trillions of cells, all of which have different functions. They make up every organ in a persons body, whether it is the heart, or the skin on a persons scalp. Of the trillions of cells, there are millions of stem cells, which may seem like a lot, but in comparison to the total cells, it is relatively small. Stem cells, most simply described, are cells that are blank, to some extent. They do not yet have
A stem cell is defined as having “the ability to make specialized cells for various tissues in the body, such as heart muscle, brain tissue, and liver tissue” (umm.edu) Two of the most commonly studied stem cells are adult and embryonic. Adult stem cells are cells that have already became specialized, such as heart or muscle tissue. Embryonic cells on the other hand are still in development. This means that with some modifying, then an embryonic stem cell can develop into almost any specialized cell in the human body. Being able to genetically engineer specialized cells will allow for the possible cure for many medical issues faced today. The only issue with doing stem cell research is that some people may consider it immoral. Embryonic cells come from either aborted fetuses or in vitro fertilized eggs. This balances on the thin line of what point is a baby considered alive and if it is murder. Ultimately, stem cell research has the ability to make advances in the medical word.