Stem Cell Research:The Cure of Tomorrow

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Recommended: Embryonic stem cell research pros and cons

When one thinks of fatal diseases, what comes to mind? Cancer? Organ failure? Brain damage? All of those things and more could be a thing of the past with the incredible potential of stem cell research. Stem cells are like blank cells that can take the form of other kinds of cells. This gives them the ability to heal damaged areas, or grow replacement tissue for tissue that has been diseased. Stem cells can come from several different places, some of which cause lots of controversy and ethical debate. Because of this, stem cell research is not federally funded by the United States government. But, stem cell research has tons of potential and should get more attention for the greater good of our future. According to Courtney Farrell’s overview of stem cell research, stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be used to fix and replace other kinds of cells that are missing or damaged, and they can be derived from several different sources. The first of these sources, “embryonic” stem cells have been the source of many ethical debates because the process to gain embryonic stem cells involves the destruction of a human embryo in its early stages. Many people find this unethical and think it’s equal to human murder. According to the article by John Pearson, other types of stem cells include adult stem cells, which can be derived from bone marrow in grown adults, and umbilical blood stem cells; these are found in the blood of the umbilical cord after the birth of a baby and are becoming a great replacement for embryonic stem cells. As stated by John Pearson, once a stem cell is gained through one of these processes it is reproduced in a lab and formed into what is known as a “cell line”. Each cell line was started from a differ... ... middle of paper ... ... from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. Lee M. “Point: Stem Cell Research Provides Cures for Diseases.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:2. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. Pearson J. “Point: The Potential of Stem Cell Research.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:5. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. “Stem Cell Research: Guide to Critical Analysis.” Points Of View: Stem Cell Research [serial online]. January 2013;:4. Available from: Points of View Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 26, 2013. “Adult Stem Cell Success Stories 2008” by the family research council. http://www.frc.org/insight/adult-stem-cell-sucess-stories-2008-jan-june

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