The Heated Debate Concerning Stem Cell Research

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Recommended: stem cell research and ethical issues surrounding the topic

The topic of stem cells can become a very controversial subject in the scientific research world. Stem cells serve as an internal repair system to restore other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. By doing so, many fatal and untreatable diseases such as leukemia and Parkinson’s would be able to be treated and cured. The origination of stem cells is what stirs up great controversy across the nation and among the world. Until recently, scientists primarily worked with two kinds of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic or “adult” stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos, as their name suggests, therefore many believe this is morally and ethically wrong. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many different cell types in the body throughout life and growth. Examples include bone marrow, the heart, and the pancreas. Stem cells have two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division. Unspecialized stem cells are cells that have no special function Second, they can be generated to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. Stem cells divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues sometimes regularly or under special conditions depending on the type of tissue (Stem Cell Basics, 2009). Stem cells are very important for living organisms to stay healthy and survive, and for many other reasons. In a blastocyst, which is a three to five day old embryo, the inner cells give rise to the entire body of the organism. All stem cells have three unique, general properties: they are capable of diving and renewing themselves for long periods, they are unspecialized, and they can give rise to spec... ... middle of paper ... ...apeutic purpose -- a hope for new horizon in medical biotechnology. Journal of Experimental Therapeutics & Oncology, 8(3), 223-233. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Stem Cell Basics [Stem Cell Information]. (2009). NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basi Top 10 Stem Cell Treatment Facts | Closer Look. (n.d.). Closer Look. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org/ Top_10_Stem_Cell_Treatment_Facts.htm Yoon-Young, J., Zhaohui, Y., & Linzhao, C. (2011). Molecular imaging and Stem Cell Research. Molecular Imaging, 10(2), 111-112. doi:10.2310/7290.2010.00046 Zacharias, D. G., Nelson, T. J., Mueller, P. S., & Hook, C. (2001). The Science and Ethics of Induced Pluripotency: What Will Become of Embryonic Stem Cells?. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 86(7), 634-640. doi:10.4065/mcp.2011.0054

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