The Controversy over Stem Cells and Parkinson's Disease Without any thought, without even noticing it happens, when one has an itch, they scratch it. The arm moves up to the face, the fingers reach down and move across the skin. This series of actions, which many of us do everyday is something individuals with Parkinson's disease struggle with every moment of their lives. Simple movements are replaced by frozen limbs that they or their nervous system can not move. Described by many as a
Introduction: Investigative Question: Can stem cells be used to cure a neurological disease, namely; Parkinson’s Disease? The aim of this research is to determine if stem cells can be used to cure Parkinson’s disease. I too aim to determine if such may be achieved by using stem cells that are obtained in an ethically unchallenging manner, such as by using induced pluripotent stem cells, which are created from one’s own skin, to cure the disease. I chose to conduct research into this topic as currently
Parkinson’s disease has been known about since ancient times. In AD 175, the physician Galen described it as “shaking palsy” in Western medical literature. It wasn’t until 1817 that a London doctor, named James Parkinson, wrote a detailed medical essay on this disease. This essay established Parkinson’s disease as a recognized medical condition. He based the essay off of six cases he had observed previously and hoped that it would encourage others to study the disease. No such research was performed
all affected by one disease (Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, Statistics). That disease is Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s takes away little things like movement that many of us take for granted. Lives are changed because of Parkinson’s, but there is hope. Through medical breakthroughs discovered in recent years, my grandpa and many others suffering from Parkinson’s disease have a chance at a better life. History of Parkinson’s Disease Signs or symptoms of Parkinson’s disease have been recorded
Parkinson’s disease is defined as “a progressive, chronic, neurodegenerative disease” (Medscape, 2014). Parkinson’s disease affects the movement of the body and develops gradually, starting from a slight tremor and can progress into loss of autonomic movements to speech changes and writing changes. In this paper the author will discuss ethical and legal concepts related to Parkinson’s disease and how certain treatments like stem cell transplants can help but also be a major risk factors and have
others in need. Stem cell therapy is one of the new therapies that are used to treat a disease or prevent it. Bone marrow transplants are one type of therapy that has been used for the treatment of leukemia for a while now. 1,6Stem cell therapy is used to replace damaged, diseased, or malfunctioning cells anywhere in the body with healthy cells. When a stem cell is introduced to a specific part of the body, that stem cell receives signals that tell it how to mimic the other cells around it. One
Parkinson’s Disease An estimated eight million people are living worldwide with Parkinson’s Disease. Parkinson’s is a disease where the nerve cells, called neurons die in your brain. These neurons that die produce a brain chemical, dopamine which is a neurotransmitter. As the neurons die or become damaged the lack of dopamine creates the symptoms and disease. The neurons that die are located in your Substantia Nigra in the brain. The nerve cell affects your entire nervous system. The neurons transmit
Stem cell research is one of the most fascinating discoveries of today’s science. Stem cells are cells that are found in all multi-cellular organisms. There are two types of stem cells: the embryonic stem cell, which is found in an embryo, and the adult stem cell, which is found in adult tissues. They have the ability to divide themselves into other specialized cell types which will grow to become the human body parts such as the circulatory system, the nervous system and the immune system. While
Research has shown that studying stem cells has provided possibilities for treating neurological disorders. Scientists have performed studies that have allowed blind patients to gain vision again and have also discovered that sustaining the blood-brain barrier could help in diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Many people find stem cell research unhealthy because of the pain women go through when donating. However, stem cell research has advanced people's knowledge tremendously when it comes to
Composition Stem Cell Research According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a stem cell is “a simple cell in the body that is able to develop into any one of various kinds of cells (such as blood cells, skin cells, etc.).” There are two types of stem cells, embryonic and adult. The adult stem cells can can be found in brain, bone marrow, blood, etc. The embryonic stem cells come from a four to five day human embryo during the blastocyst phase (Crosta) . The controversy behind the topic usually stems from