Stem Cells and Their Effect on Tumor Growth and Cancer Creation

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 transfer of information, often shared through scientific reports and research, puts this topic in a highly international spotlight. Many supporters believe that stem cells will be able to help solve once untreatable diseases or injuries such as spinal cord injuries, skin burns, Parkinson’s disease, and some blood disorders. However, the main argument is if stem cells should be used in finding therapeutic treatments. The use of embryonic stem cells is viewed by many as a moral inconsistency; it is opposed by religious organizations and individuals believing that this research should be abandoned and existing, alternative methods be adapted.

Stem cells are a topic that may be unfamiliar to many people. Before the article is read, the reader knows that the author, Jean Peduzzi Nelson, is well educated on stem cells as she researches and studies stem cells at Wayne State University. This immediately establishes the writer’s credibility before she begins to propose her argument. Nelson’s background greatly strengthens her argument as it shows that she is an expert in the field of stem cells and allows the

In the past two decades, many technological and scientific advances have been made in order to make life easier for many people who suffer from cancer, disease and sickness. Among these advances there is something revolutionary called stem cells. Stem cells can help restore and regenerate almost all parts of the human body such as the heart, kidney, liver, and many other organs. Although stem cells offer a lot, there are many views against and for stem cells, and among these views lies the debate of whether stem cells should be legalized or not (NIH 2). Stem cells offer exciting new opportunities in the field of science such as regenerating human body parts, but many people are still debating whether or not the use of stem cells is

With the hopes of curing the patient’s afflictions, these newly grown cells would then be transplanted into the patient. With this approach come major problems such as the formation of tumours, which is caused by the distinguishing trait of stem cells. Because stem cells are able to divide for an unlimited amount of time, it has been found that the cells will not know when to stop dividing and they will continue to divide even after being transplanted into the patient (Herold 48). This form of treatment is counterproductive, as uncontrollable cell division will produce tumours and potentially cause cancer, which is one of the ailments that stem cell research promises to cure.

cancer stem cell: current controversies and new insights” National Institutes of Health (995) December 5, 2005]

Stem cells are defined as the population of cells within an organism that retains its ability to divide and differentiate into various cell types. Since the early 1980s, scientists have researched the use of stem cells in the treatment of various human diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The research has sparked a controversial debate worldwide due to the nature of stem cell research and the source of pluripotent stem cells used in research. Stem cell research is a necessity, despite the source of pluripotent stem cells, because the research has led to breakthrough information involving the treatment diseases and injuries and the use of stem cells to replace damaged cells.

Will embryonic stem cells prove to be equally disappointing as many hoped for cures in modern history? No one knows. However, a tragic occurrence following one particular fetal tissue transplant for Parkinson's disease, when such was thought to be a cure, should give us pause. Some of the tissue placed in this man's brain may have been from an earlier gestational age than is customary in American clinical trials - that is, it may have been more embryonic than fetal in nature. Within two years after the transplant this man died mysteriously - and an autopsy revealed that masses of "nonneural tissue" such as skin and hair had filled the ventricles of his brain and cut off his breathing. Researchers theorized that this tissue may have

Stem cells are capable of doing an abundance of things in the world with the vast variety of tasks that they can accomplish. In certain ways stem cells can be seen as unsatisfactory, but the benefits outweigh the faults overall. Although some believe that the usage of stem cells is equivalent to “playing as god” (Stem 1), they can still benefit the world in how the cells are used. Stem cell therapy has many benefactors to it, and advanced research into it could benefit people all over the world. WIth more in depth research into stem cell therapy, lives could be improved and possibly saved. Incurable diseases now have a chance to be curable, and terminally sick people have a chance at life again. The research of this therapy is mandatory in

The topic of stem cells is a controversial one that many do not want to talk about, but perhaps stem cells could help in the treatment of

Although over half of the internet consumers highly trust their physicians and information obtained from them, 48.6% of 6,369 internet users surveyed go online first to seek health information, while only 10.9% go to their physicians first (Hesse). Companies that advertise their stem cell treatments online present a wide array of conditions that they can treat while negating most if not all potential complications. However, stem cell therapies already have serious documented side effects, such as meningitis. For example, a boy with Louis-Bar Syndrome, a neurodegenerative disease causing severe disability. was treated with human fetal neural stem cells in Russia. Four years after his first treatment he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that was found to be “of nonhost origin, suggesting it was derived from the transplanted neural stem cells” and was “derived from at least two donors” (Amariglio). In addition, patients who have actually engaged in stem cell tourism reported that the physician performing their procedure did not clarify the outcome of the treatment, positive or negative, and the only possible risks mentioned were very minor, such as the possibility of a pain at the injection site (Brown).

For starters stem cells are able to self-renew infinitely, allowing them to be harvested in the future with correct methods not yet available in these times, this processes known as proliferation. They have two more key unique traits one being their ability to differentiate into other cells that are specialised with functions and characteristics another trait is stem cells being so unspecialized which gives them the ability to emerge as highly specialised cells. Under circumstances involving physiologic or experimental conditions stem cells have the ability to become tissue or even cells specific to certain organs around the body. Stem cells have a very high potential to diminish many diseases or conditions that haunt many places and many people around the world. Studies have shown that stem cells could hold the key to understanding cancer and hopefully a way to target it and kill the cancer cells or prevent them from occurring in the first place. Cancer occurs when stem cell division does not occur as it is supposed to. Certain cancer types can already be eradicated by the use of stem cell treatments, even some diseases can be fought with them. If stem cell treatments are improved they could very much be the future of medical technology.

A stem cell is a cell which can differentiate into any other type of cell in the body. It can become a blood cell, a liver cell, or even a nerve cell. The only problem with stem cells is that they can only be found in the bone marrow of living humans or the gonadal tissue of developing fetuses. There are many people who believe that stem cells are the miracle cure for cancer, Parkinson’s, and many other terminal diseases, but there are large groups of people opposed to the use of stem cells because of the means by which they are attained. This debate will go on indefinitely, because there are prodigious amounts of support for both sides of the issue. The many benefits of stem cells out weigh the

Scientific research of all kinds is viewed by some as controversial, with one of the most controversial of these being the study of human stem cells. From the first uses of this technology there have been many who have fought to stop it. However, current advances in medical research have made it possible to reduce some of the negative stigma surrounding stem cell research and will lead researchers to develop new cures and other applications that could turn the health care industry further toward the current trend of preventative medicine. Much of the negative connotation surrounds the types of cells used and how they are harvested. New discoveries and techniques have allowed for alternate sources of stem cells and that research has led to new views of the cells and their functions. All of this has, in turn, led to new information about many genetic diseases and possible treatments using stem cells.

Due to this characteristic, healthy stem cells can be placed into a human body to replace diseased cells. Doing so, can treat or even cure certain diseases such as cancer or in Jaylen’s case, Batten Disease (“Stem Cell Basics” N.p). This was demonstrated when Sorrel Mason was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia at the age of two. Given a thirty percent chance to survive, she received a transplant matching umbilical cord cells with hers, she has since recovered and is now healthy. Her mother, Samantha Mason, said “her daughter made a full recovery since undergoing the transplant” ("Japanese stem cells saved girl’s life” N.p). Another example where the use of stem cells resulted in a cure was in the case of a man whose vision was restored through an eye transplant using a corneal patch grown from adult stem cells. Dr. Mark Daniel, who helped lead the research reported, "He had reduced mobility, could not read and could not work, but he has now resumed duties as an accountant, enjoys sight (slightly lower than normal 20/20 acuity) and has increased mobility and quality of life and renewed optimism” ("Adult Stem Cell Patch Restores Vision” N.p).