The Future of Biomedical Engineering Essay

The ELISA test can also be used to detect antibodies that are produced in response to a specific antigen. Using information about how you completed this ELISA experiment, outline a procedure for testing for antibodies in the blood.

Many of us have all heard the saying that a “lizard can lose its tail,” and bizarrely enough it will grow back. This was always considered impossible for humans, an idea belonging in the realm of science fiction, but now the regeneration of tissue is an extremely realistic possibility. Despite some opinions, this process does not happen naturally, or take place as cinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research.

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

The recovery period after large scale injuries could be shortened. The effects are analyzed in an article that states, “True healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery process” (“Pros and Cons” 5). Basically, the process of cloning healthy cells could be used as an aid in replenishing damage of unhealthy cells. This process, if it were to be actualized, could help recovery progress in anything from pulled muscles to the paralysis of an entire limb. In theory, the same research can be applied in other areas. If this technology is paired with stem cell research, it could result in a method of repairing physical damage. An article that focused on advances in biotechnology stated that “Another use of cloned stem cells could be the growth of replacement tissues in the laboratory” (LaPensee 15). Necrosis, apoptosis, and lymphocyte diapedesis all cause tissue damage or death. These tissues could be replaced by cloned cells of healthy tissues. This shortens recovery periods and leads to healthier tissue growth.

Discoveries from stem cells have been substantial within the last 20 years, with breakthrough treatments for diseases and conditions previously thought to be incurable. For instance, the case of Portuguese patient Silvio, who, due to an accident, suffered Grade A spinal cord injury, and “was left with no movement of his legs and minimal

this research would be to identify the factors that are involved in the cell making process that determines cell specialization. A few of our extreme medical conditions, like birth defects and cancer, are a direct result of abnormal cell specialization. If researchers obtain a better understanding of the normal cellular process, they can isolate the causes of these deadly illnesses. The most exciting potential use for stem cells is the generation of tissues and cells. Many diseases are a direct result from complications of cellular functions or destruction of tissues in the body. Many people donate organs and tissues to replace failing or destroyed tissues. Unfortunately, there are many more people suffering from these disorders than there are organs to transplant. That is where stem cells step in. They will give humans a chance to have a renewable source of cells and tissues that will treat a slue of diseases, and disabilities such as, Parkinson’s, stroke, burns, Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injury, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and

Adult stem cells have already proven to be successful in treating diseases and have helped hundreds of thousands of patients, and new clinical uses expand almost weekly. Adult stem cells can be obtained from cord blood, fat, neural tissue, muscle, bone marrow, placental and skin cells. Adult stem cells are increasingly being shown to have a similar and perhaps an identical capacity to become cells of other types. There is a possibility that adult stem cells may function more efficiently and more safely than embryonic cells. Treena Arinzeh, a young professor who last year won a Presidential Award, the nation's highest scientific honor, is bringing the promise of stem cell research one step closer to reality. Adult stem cells also have a unique trait that lends them their magic: Under the right conditions, or given the proper signals, they have the ability to turn into different cell types. Arinzeh is doing exactly that: developing signals, in the form of biomaterials, that will help adult stem cells turn into cells that, if injected into a diseased area of the human body, could regenerate damaged tissue. Her research has also led to two major stem-cell discoveries: One showing that stem cells, when mixed with biomaterials known as scaffolds, can help regenerate bone growth; and another proving that stem cells taken from one person can be successfully implanted into another. A list of conditions for which stem-cell treatment holds promise grows almost daily: It now

Stem cells are being used more and more to help patients recover from severe injuries that in the past left them with sensory deficits and open to other medical problems. Stem Cell Moore helps patients who suffer from painful joint and back pain regain movement and enjoy a pain-free life. Doctors performing these procedures are a part of a network of over 400 physicians worldwide supply plasma

It is a well known fact that millions of people suffer from accidents that leave them paralyzed for life. When stuck in a wheelchair forever, life can look very bleak. However, there is hope for these victims. Although it is controversial, stem cells offer the answer to not only broken spinal cords but to many other injuries.

Stem Cells On average 20 people die each day waiting for a transplant. Which is a problem that our people deal with on a daily basis. This fact has a solution in which we can help and provide people with new organs. The solution are stem cells that are artificially created in order to replace damaged organs.

Most spinal cord injuries are hard to treat due to the fragility of the vertebrae as a whole. Although; if left untreated, spinal cord injuries could affect motor and nerve control and function (Zhao et.al 2016). Stem injections are now commonly used as a type of rehabilitative medicine for injuries like those in the spine. This is because stem cells can take form of other specified cells it becomes exposed to. Once injected into the area of the injury, the cells are able to replicate and serve to renew the cells that have been lost or damaged. Three different studies done on rats were observed for the effects of outside variables, such as time and contents, on the efficiency of stem cell treatments. In one study, rats with the spinal cord

Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes have drastically hindered, or even taken the lives of people you may know and love. While these three diseases consistently rank in the top ten leading causes of death in the United States, we as a country are steered toward pharmaceutical drugs in order to alleviate pain and ultimately mask their life altering effects on us. Adult stem cells is the future for diseases such as these. Up until now, the research from biologists combined with real life medical procedures in the adult stem cell field has put mankind within sight of remarkable success. Everything from reversing disease to lowering the cost and failures of pharmaceutical testing, is entirely possible with adult stem cells. The United States

Stem cell therapies are a promising potential treatment to fill those gaps in the circuitry on the spinal cord. They

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

“Through the isolation and manipulation of cells, scientists are finding ways to identify young, regenerating ones that can be used to replace damaged of dead cells in diseased organs. This therapy is similar to the process of organ transplant, only the treatment consists of the transplantation of cells rather than organs. The cells that have shown by far the most promise of supplying diseased organs with healthy cells are called stem cells.” (Chapter Preface)