Umbilical Cord Blood Harvesting

Embryonic stem cell research is a highly debated and sensitive topic.  There is a lot of good that can come from researching this technology of stem cell research because many people all across the globe would benefit from it.  The United States will soon fall short while other countries are already using this advancement if we cannot come to a logical conclusion on this vital issue.

Jennifer Hickey states that “Stem cells are the basis for every type of cell in the body” (¼). Since stem cells are the basis of all cells, then these cells can be implanted into someone's body who has a certain disease or disorder. Assuming that a person has Alzheimer's, then they are losing brain cells that cannot be replaced, unless stem cells are placed in their body. If stem cells were implanted into this person’s brain, those stem cells can become nerve cells and repair the brain. Nevertheless, if stem cells from embryos are grown in the wrong environment, they can cause cancer. Cells acquired from umbilical cord blood do not show any of these problems (“Stem”

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 goal of this process is strictly to harvest stem cells, resulting in the creation of “cloned organs”, which can be used to treat heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

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.

Over the last several decades, the field of medical technology and research has become increasingly advanced. Just read up on any of the most recent innovations; what may have once been considered science fiction is rapidly becoming reality. Some of the most publicized scientific discoveries are related to stem cells, as the controversial research and use of certain types of these cells is continuously being debated among politicians, scientists, and religious leaders. However, it is believed that a specific type of stem cell, an umbilical cord blood stem cell, may be used to treat a number of diseases, disorders, or injuries devoid of ethical controversy. Banks for storing cord blood exist in countries all over the world and its use is

In come a stem cell which is an immature cell that can become a different cell, or even transform into one of many different cells. Most stem cells can also renew or divide themselves indefinitely. These two characteristics are what present a new pathway to repairing damage to the human body caused by trauma, degeneration and disease. Stem cells keep on generating in the body and take place of the cells which have died such as in a spinal cord injury. The process of using stem cells for spinal cord injury is controversial for some and involves taking one’s own bone marrow or a donated human umbilical cord. A licensed anesthesiologist harvests bone marrow from both hips under light general anesthesia in a hospital operating room, the procedure takes about one and half to two hours. The bone marrow-derived stem cells have to pass rigorous testing for quality and to ensure there is not bacterial contamination before they are administered to the patient. In the same fashion

Additionally, an author provided an example of another therapy –the haploidentical transplantation that uses bone- marrow cells, which are only half-matched to a patient. However, Berger clearly gives readers to understand that using umbilical-cord stem cells is better because they have not been exposed much to bacteria and viruses. As an article says the transplant trial was done by Colleen Delaney of the Fred Hutchinson cancer Research Center. The author of the article states that Delaney’s clinical trial saved the lives of thirteen people, including Quinn and Gordon, out of fifteen participants. Therefore, using the stem cells from babies’ umbilical cords is a new solution for the blood cancer patients, especially those with different racial

There are other less controversial methods of obtaining stem cells, however none of those methods seem to retrieve stem cells with the same “vitality and versatility” as those taken from embryos (Reaves). Umbilical cord blood has proven to be effective in some cases. Keone Penn, a fifteen year old from Atlanta, Georgia, was cured of his sickle cell anemia by receiving a stem cell injection. Although stem cells from umbilical cord blood are high proportioned compared to are own bone marrow and circulating blood (Dr. Andrew Yeager), they are still pluripotent, meaning that they can develop into many of the 220 cell types in the human body, but not all, therefore limiting their usefulness. Another and most obvious alternative would be to take stem cells from already grown adult stem cells. However, scientists around the world soon discovered that there were many setbacks to using adult cells. The first is that adult stem cells are already specified, meaning that if a biomedical technician were to take out a blood stem cell, it could only be used for the replacement of blood cells. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, are not specified, or have not yet developed into a certain type of cell. The process is controversial because of the cloning that takes place in a culture. First, the nucleus from an unfertilized egg is extracted. The nucleus contains the chromosomes of the cell, and in this case, the chromosomes of the egg. An egg alone only

Here's the scoop: As originally reported late last year in the medical journal Blood, Dr. Catherine M. Verfaillie and other researchers at the Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, have discovered a way to coax an adult cell found in the bone marrow to exhibit many of the attributes that supposedly make embryonic stem cells irreplaceable to the development future "miracle" medical therapies(Catherine).

I am here to present the pros and cons of embryonic stem cells verses umbilical

Firstly, the child's stem cell-rich blood is stored indefinitely, and available when/if the child or other family member may benefit from its use. Instead of a donor having to undergo painful bone marrow transplants, with a chance of it not being successful, cord blood can be used. As mentioned, since it would be a 100% match to the child, there would be very little likeliness of his/her body rejecting the transplant. In some instances, the cord blood could be used to treat a sibling or other family member (depending on the condition). Lastly, the peace of mind derived from knowing that you have taken a viable, (REWORD) to ensure your child's future health and

First of all an understanding of what a stem cell is, where it comes from, and the significance of it's medical potential is essential. Stem cells are the "master cells" that form the human body or whatever other animal it is from. Stem cells can be extracted from adult tissues, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood ( ), and embryos in the blastocyst stage. Although scientists have found ways to manipulate the stem cells from adult sources into other types of cells, they claim that they are less capable of deriving the desired tissue and are not "biologically equivalent" ( ) to stem cells extracted from embryos.

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.

2. How can the latest research in stem cells used from cord blood and tissue banking support expectant parents’ decision to save their baby umbilical cord blood?