Stem Cell Research Essay

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.

The disease stem cells could fix is called Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The reason I chose this topic is because I have seen first hand how badly someone who suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease is affected in their daily lives. This disease completely takes over their lives and they turn into a completely different person who can hardly function. AD is very tough on the loved ones of the person suffering from it because that person, most of the time has no idea what is going on or who their loved ones are. The memories for people with AD is completely gone and even the simplest tasks such as remembering to use the bathroom becomes difficult. The way stem cells could be feasible is because stem cell-based therapies could potentially treat

Medicine has evolved tremendously over the past few centuries, but there are still many bodily conditions that are yet to be treatable. However, the use of adult stem cells is proving to be an extremely effective method to cure a wide range of medical disorders. While little funding is available for stem cell research, the outcomes are beginning to look promising. In the article, “Adult Stem Cells Are Already Curing Diseases,” Jean Peduzzi Nelson, a stem cell researcher from Wayne State University, argues for more funding and research in the area of stem cells. She presents instances in which stem cells have worked to help cure certain conditions and backs her argument with data to support her reasoning. Nelson’s argument sufficiently persuades readers of the necessity of stem cell use as she begins and concludes her argument convincingly, gives the reader some insight as to how stem cells work, and uses personal examples to demonstrate how stem cells have directly helped cure certain medical conditions.

The picture above helps show the controversy between the two sides. Scientist believe that stem cell research should be allowed if the stem cells are cultured within the first trimester (Lazar). They believe this because during the first trimester, the embryo is just a small cluster of cells. It is not affected by the outside environment, it does not react to pain; in addition, it also does not react to pleasure.

In the 21st century, disease is rampant and for most diseases, we have no cure because we haven 't researched them long enough to find a specialized cure. One option that we have is human embryonic stem cell (HESC) research. HESC research consists of using human embryonic stem cells, which are very flexible and adaptive to create the necessary cells to develop future cell-based therapies for currently untreatable diseases, such as leukemia, various types of cancer along with the regeneration of organs and tissues. There are multiple applications of stem cell research include being used to study the development of a complex organism, replace damaged cells and treat disease, study disease and they could provide a resource for testing new medical treatments. (What are the potential applications.) HESC research offers the “hope of cures for chronic and debilitating conditions, such as juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries and blindness.” (Vestal.) On the other hand, this research also represents “a revolutionary path to discovering the causes and cures for many more human maladies.” (Vestal.)

Even though many people are unsure about stem cell use, research shows that stem cells are able to help people. Around 50,000 adult stem cell transplants happen around the world each year (“Rethinking Stem Cells” ). Imagine a world with no sickness or no cancer but also if that means killing embryos. If research keeps happening, stem cells may have the answers to many questions for great

Stem cells are unspecialized pluripotent cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division and can be influenced to become specific cells with special functions. (Source F). It is no exaggeration to say that harnessing the amazing regenerative properties of stem cells will greatly aid the medical field in finding cures for debilitating chronic diseases. On February 1, 1961, Dr. James Till and Ernest McCulloch established The Foundation for Stem Cell Science and incredible advances have continued. The most recent happened on February 20, 2016 when stem cells were used to replace part of a human brain. (Source E). Their regenerative properties can be utilized to repair organs such as eyes for the blind, or hearts for those suffering with cardiovascular disease. Stem cell therapy can

Adult stem cells can be found in various parts of the body and are used to repair specific tissues in the body, for example stem cells found in the heart turn into heart cells when needed. These cells have been established to become a specific type of cell and are not as easy to manipulate in a lab. The controversy of stem cell research comes to the surface when we examine embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are taken directly from an embryo, before its cells to differentiate. At this stage the embryo is classified as a "blastocyst." There are about 100 cells in a blastocyst, a very large percentage of which are stem cells, which can be maintained in a lab indefinitely, grown in cultures, where the stem cells continue to double in number every few days. A replicating set of stem cells from a single blastocyst is called a "stem cell line" because the genetic material all originated from the same fertilized human egg. President George W. Bush authorized federal funding for research on 15 stem cell lines made available in 2001. Other stem cell lines are also available for research but are currently funded by private

For years, researchers have been studying the biology of stem cells to figure out how development works and to find new ways of treating humans with health problems. Because stem cells can give way to any tissue found in the body, they provide nearly limitless abilities for medical treatments. Current studies on researching how stem cells may be used to prevent or cure diseases and injuries

Stem cells are thought to be able to cure diseases such as lupus, arthritis, sclerosis, etc.

When people refer to stem cell therapy some people tend to become uneasy due to the ethical questions raised by the practice, the one this paper will be tackling is whether or not stem cells should be used to treat genetic diseases. To understand why these questions are raised, an idea of “what Stem cells are” and “what stem cell therapy is” is required. In basic terms stem cell therapy, most commonly in the form of an autotransplantation, is the use of either allogeneic or autologous therapy to treat certain diseases. A good example of stem cell therapy is using it to help treat patients with leukemia. Stem cells are taken from a healthy donor or the patient themselves and are introduced into the bone marrow of patient to produce new, healthy cells. Therapies like these really all started when we first discovered what cells are in the 1800’s and began research in the field of study. From there it went something like this, “Attempts were made to fertilize mammalian eggs outside of the human body and in the early 1900s, it was discovered that some cells had the ability to generate blood cells. In

It is a common misconception of the general public that embryonic stem cells are obtained from embryos that have been fertilized within a woman’s body. This however is not the case. Scientists obtain embryonic stem cells from blastocysts that have been voluntarily donated by in virto fertilization clinics. These blastocysts are no longer of use to couples that have treated their infertility and would most likely be discarded by the clinic in the future, hence these blastocysts would never of gotten a chance to fully develop regardless, and therefore they should be used for research.

Adult stem cells are present in bone marrow, blood, liver, umbilical cord and so on. Scientists still tries to preview what kind of adult cell, a specific stem cell will become. It is known of its replication capability, but it is unknown what their limitations as transplants and for genetic diseases. In other words, it will take longer research efforts and long-term investments until an effective therapy with these cells present results. But when it comes to scientific research, any new fact, any new discovery can completely alter the current situation, and many steps can be overcome in a short time.

Usually most people don’t think about things such as stem cells or embryos being used in scientific research; however, embryonic stem cells have showed they are useful because they have the ability to create any cell type in the human body. In contrast to the embryonic stem cells adult stem cells are more specialized; which makes embryonic cells more useful for a wider range of research. Stem cells are also able to be genetically modified to target specific genes that have diseases: such as, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, heart injuries and even conditions like autism are just a few examples. Although stem cells are already seen as a great scientific advancement, with genetically modified cells a new treatment for cancer may have been discovered.

Scientists once believed that human adult stem cells could be used, but that idea was quickly put to rest when scientists discovered that the cells may be damaged by sunlight or toxins in the air, as well as the fact that adult stem cells may contain more DNA abnormalities. Stem cell research could one day lead to the cures of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (NIH, FAQ's, 1).