Stem Cell Research: The Political Front Essay

People who have an idea on stem cell research think that the only way to get stem cells is by ending an embryo's life in the womb. “There are many alternatives to embryonic stem cell research, alternatives with great potential”(Istook 3). Researchers can also get embryonic stem cells from the placenta of a mother after an infant is born. These embryonic stem cells from the placenta are just as good as the ones from an aborted embryo. Researchers have also found new ways to create embryonic stem cells. These cells are called reprogrammed cells. They are adult, usually skin cells that scientists genetically reprogram to appear like embryonic stem cells (Federal Policy). Even though the technology to create these reprogrammed cells is very new and it is still not known whether they have the same potential as original embryonic cells, it is a very good start and gets researchers a step closer to realization. There is a difference between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. That difference is that embryonic stem cells can become any type of cell and are unspecialized, while adult stem cells are already specialized or have a certain job. For example, adult red blood cells can only be used to treat blood diseases like anemia. Adult brain tissue stem cells can only be used to treat brain diseases like alzheimers, dementia, and parkinson’s

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

We know that many have made expansive claims for the benefits of human embryo research. However, all such claims are conjectural. Embryonic stem cell research has not helped a single human patient or demonstrated any therapeutic benefit. At the same time, adult stem cells have helped hundreds of thousands of patients and new

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to save countless of lives and not just in the United States but throughout the whole world. There are many unlimited capabilities to generate better health to the human body with the studies of embryonic stem cells. It can really make a difference in the world of medicine with astonishing breakthroughs. Embryonic stem cell research is ethical and should be acceptable in society rather than wasted aside, because it can cure diseases, save lives, and can extend the human life span. There are limited of acknowledgment for embryonic stem cells, and yet they hold the key to a promising future.

Adult stem cells are not necessarily derived from adult human but merely not from embryos. These stem cells can found in bone marrow, connective tissues, hair follicles, umbilical cords and other areas of the body. It is said that these cells have been used to treat an estimated 11,000 patients in the United States in the past two years alone, and over 70 diseases, including Parkinson’s and diabetes. (Pence, 2009) There have been 0 recorded successful treatments achieved by the use of embryonic stem cells. As well, stem cells from umbilical cord blood have been used to treat 65 diseases such as leukemia, and lymphoma. (Sweat,

Embryonic stem cell research could provide many medical advanced. Studying the stem cells could help prevent diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's, and heart disease.

In addition to research, these types of stem cells are used to restore and repair damaged tissue in all kinds of diseases. Embryonic stem cells are so useful because they have pluripotency, which means that they can differentiate into any human cell type. The cell types that they are commonly induced in are brain, heart, liver and insulin pumping beta cells that are similar to the pancreas. Since these embryonic stem cells can be differentiated into so many types of cells, they are able to treat diseases like: Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes and many more.

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

Embryonic stem cell research can be easily defined. A stem is defined as something that is developed from. A cell is defined as a microscopic living organism. According to Dennis Hollinger, "Embryonic stem cell research uses from the embryo's inner cell mass that give rise to each of the human body's many different tissue types"(1). In our modern day society, stem cell research has become a controversial topic. Several people strongly oppose the idea of the research, but many are struggling for the continuance of the program. Embryonic stem cell research should be allowed to continue because it aids in the search of cures for diseases, offers an alternative to discarding unused embryos from in vitro fertilization, and is supported by the

The stem cell controversy has been going on for many years. The two basic controversies surrounding stem cell research is whether or not it is morally justifiable, and if stem cells will ever live up to the medical promises. Most of these controversies concern embryonic stem cells more than any other stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are unspecialized, but have the ability to divide and make specialized cells like muscles, nerves, and skin cells. These cells are found in the early stage of human development. When the human egg is fertilized by sperm and becomes a blastocyst, which is basically a cluster of stem cells, the harvesting for embryonic stem cells begins. In order to harvest the stem cells scientists basically destroy the blastocyst. The embryonic stem cell is an efficient treatment for a variety of diseases that affect many human beings. Those diseases include Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, heart diseases, diabetes, vision and hearing loss, or even spinal cord injury.

Stem cell research and engineering is a widely disputed topic that often divides people in science, ethics, and religion. In order to fully understand the controversy surrounding this area of scientific research and discovery, one must be informed as to what stem cells are. In the article, “Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Research, Ethics and Policy”, stem cells are described as “primitive cells with the capacity to divide and give rise to more identical stem cells or to specialize and from specific cells of somatic tissues” (Wert 672). Essentially, stem cells can potentially provide an unlimited supply of cells that could form some or all body cells. This ability to transform into different types or all types of cells depends of the type of stem cell, which can be divided into embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells (Bishop 1). Embryonic stem cells are extracted from preimplantation embryos and are pluripotent, meaning they possess the ability to form cells of all tissues in the adult human body. Adult stem cells, however, are limited to what tissues they can transform into.

However, embryos are unnecessary for successful scientific research and medical practices. Adult stem cells can be removed safely from bone marrow, circulating blood, umbilical cord blood, or fat. These adult cells will perform very similarly, and often better, than the embryonic cells. They can both be used to research the effects of particular diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer's, and are used medically to generate healthy cells and replace diseased or missing cells. In this method, stem cells are used to grow anything from a small skin graft to parts of an organ. Adult stem cells have a significantly higher success rate in medical institutions; it makes more sense to generate cells from your own body or that of someone whom can be matched to blood type and genes rather than an unknown and untested embryo. However, it is a slightly more difficult and time-consuming process to acquire adult stem cells versus embryonic, and in the industrialized world of 2015 time is money, and money runs the world (Stem

Embryonic Stem Cell Research holds the key to unlocking cures for many currently considered “incurable” diseases and even though Embryonic Stem Cell Research holds the potential to alleviate malicious disabilities, replacing harmful cancer cells and regrowing new tissue; with a little guidance from scientist. Embryonic Stem Cell Research is one of the biggest controversial topic centered primarily on the ethical implications of the destruction and use of the embryos during research. Since Stem Cells are the source of all tissues in our body, understanding how they develop and work will give scientists a better understanding in human biology, in health and sickness.

The mid 1800s marked the beginning of stem cell research through the finding that some cells had the ability of regenerating other cells. The first embryonic stem cell lines were developed by James Thompson (University of Wisconsin-Madison) when he isolated cells from the inner cell mass of early embryos. In 1998, the same year of James Thompson’s discovery, “John Gearhart (Johns Hopkins University) derived germ cells from cells in fetal gonadal tissue (primordial germ cells). Pluripotent stem cell ‘lines’ were developed from both sources. The blastocysts used for human stem cell research typically come from in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures” (AllAbout 2002-2014, 1). This type of embryonic stem cell research quickly fueled ethical controversy.

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).