Applications for Stem Cell Research

1334 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: advantages and disadvantages of stem cell research

Stem Cell Research

Many things evolve over time: creatures, technology, even ideas. One thing that has changed dramatically is medicine. Medicine has changed from superstitious rituals, to treatments for fevers, and to even fixing disorders that originate at birth. One thing that seems to be reliable to treat all diseases and disorders is stem cell research. Stem cell research is a valuable and beneficial tool for today’s society.

Stem cells are cells that are present at the very start of an organism’s life. Stem cells are undeveloped cells that can be transformed into cells for any purpose in the organism. These cells can be used to create completely new cells that were previously not available (Kalluri 1). The first stem cells were discovered in mice in 1981. Human stem cells were effectively cultured and differentiated in 1988 by James Thomson. James and his coworkers noticed that the stem cells were most prominent in the embryos of an organism. They concluded that the embryo needed an abundance of stem cells in order to successfully create all the cells that were needed for the body, as the body needed the cells. They also noted that stem cells decreased in count as age increased, due to stem cells wearing out from the continual abuse from undergoing the cell cycle (National 1). One example of stem cells in work is a cut. Around the cut, skin cells will duplicate to try and fill the open wound. Some stem cells from nearby bone marrow will detect the signal from the nerve endings and decide to differentiate into skin cells to assist in repairing the cut. Today, scientists have found a plethora of uses for stem cells.

There are many types of stem cells. The most abundant, and most important, stem cell is ...

... middle of paper ...

...st awhile to prevent further disease. These stem cells are important to the way humans will combat disease and protect future generations and their children.

Stem cell research is a valuable and beneficial tool for today’s society. Stem cells are the future of medicine and cures for disease. These small building blocks are capable of doing any and every job that is required in the human body. Science and medicine have come a long way over the duration of the time. Some practices have become obsolete, some beliefs have been proven false. None the less, mankind still finds a way to move forward with their ideas, finding new, innovative solutions to problems that puzzled man’s ancestors’ ancestors. Modern medicine today may one day be archaic, but, for now, mankind is instilling to beliefs and constructing the tools for a magnificent, and prosperous, future.

Show More
Related

  • Should Stem Cells Be Used In Medical Research Essay

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stem cells are the building blocks of the human body. Embryos consist of unspecialized stem cells that transform into the various specialized cells in the body such as cardiac, muscle or bone cells. Fetuses also have stem cells. However, the stem cells are divided into types like muscle, bone or nerves and don't perform a specialized function. Surprisingly, adult bodies also contain stem cells. In adults, stem cells are undifferentiated but limited to specific tissue type. When needed, the stem cells transform into the cells needed for repair and maintenance. The most common source of adult stem cells is bone marrow. Researchers also acquire stem cells from umbilical cords. Without stem cells, embryos could not develop into fetuses and adult

    Read More

  • Stem Cells: What How and Why?

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stem cells are valuable due to the fact that they are ? non-designated,? (have no specifically assigned task in the body, i.e. liver cells, brain cells, skin cells, etc.) and they also have the ability to divide indefinitely. Thus, theoretically stem cells could replace any damaged or lost specifically designated cells within the body.

    Read More

  • Treatment of Skeletal Muscle Injury

    1597 Words  | 4 Pages

    8. "Stem Cell Basics." National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2009. Web. .

    Read More

  • Stem Cell Research

    1328 Words  | 3 Pages

    Because stem cells are essentially a blank slate, scientists are theoretically capable of growing any human tissue cell. There is enormous medical potential in this. Stem cell research is the next step in advancing the medical field. It is comparable to the discovery of penicillin or the inoculation for smallpox.

    Read More

  • The Government Should Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research

    2402 Words  | 5 Pages

    Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...

    Read More

  • Politics and Stem Cell Research

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    This report does a fairly comprehensive job on educating the public to the definition of stem cells, describing them as “a diverse group of remarkable multipotent cells that are relatively undifferentiated and unspecialized cells of the body.” Stem cells have the capacity for unlimited self-renewal and the possibility to produce differentiated descendant cell types. The main in...

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research

    1099 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stem cell research must be performed in order for scientists to develop a method full capable of repairing cells. The benefits of stem cell research greatly outweigh the controversies. In the long term, increased ability to cure diseases would decrease the cost of healthcare globally. In the short term, a lot of money is needed to obtain the knowledge required to save lives. In the long run, stem cell research is worth the money spent. This is only achievable if stem cell stu

    Read More

  • Stem Cells Essay

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stem cells help us to maintain and heal our bodies, as they are undifferentiated cells, their roles are not yet determined. They have the ability to become anything during early life and growth. Stem cells come from two sources, namely: embryonic stem cells (embryo’s formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development) and adult stem cells (see figure 3).

    Read More

  • Stem Cell Therapy

    1269 Words  | 3 Pages

    Imagine that there is a cure for nearly every ailment that affects the human race. Imagine that you could help the terminally ill, put those you love out of pain, and cut the healing time of an enormous number of serious illnesses in half. Imagine a world in which pain and suffering would be nearly nonexistent, and the people you love can live safe from the fear of crippling injury. Now what if I told you that this utopia was a fast approaching reality? Everything from serious life threatening burns to lymphoma, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, Muscular Dystrophy, Parkinson’s Disease, Spinal Cord Injury, and Strokes could, in the very near future, be eliminated through the simple culturing and implementation of stem cell therapy . These diseases are no small component of the myriad of conditions that plagues the human race, and yet, the end for these horrible maladies could very well be in sight. Man has always sought to end suffering, largely without success, until now. the promise that stem cell therapy holds could completely change our world for the better. Already, stem cell therapy is being used to treat leukemia, immune disorders, hodgkins and non-hodgkins lymphoma, anemia and a profusion of other ailments. As you all know, this is no small accomplishment. One day i believe that we may look at alzheimer's and diabetes and other major illnesses much like we look at polio today, as a treatable illness. Right now, our research with stem cells is providing us with new light into how we look at and model disease, our ability to understand why we get sick and even to develop new drugs. In 2008, a researcher from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Laborato...

    Read More

  • Stem cell and polio research

    627 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stem Cells are cells that scientist have began to try and use to help people. “In the mid 1800s it was discovered that cells were basically the building blocks of life and that some cells had the ability to produce other cells.” With the discovery of stem cells came the opening to a new area of development in what could be done with health and medicine of the world. Of course throughout history, stem cells have been a very heated subject between different groups of people who believe it is right or wrong. Some people believe that this form of research is against ethical or moral values. They too see this as being wrong because they view human embryos as a form of life. These cells are neutral cells that can be turned into any other one that is needed at the time. Stem cells can make more of themselves when they aren’t being used allowing them to be ready when something happens. In the human body, stem cells help repair the tissue that has been broken, torn, or lost. They help fix bones, heal abrasions, and even repair internal organs if needed. Scientist have the ability now to mani...

    Read More

  • Stem Cell Research - Embryonic Stem Cells Save Lives

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    The importance of embryonic stem cells rests in their lack of specialization. These basic cells are present in the earliest stages of developing embryos and are able to develop into virtually any type of cell and tissue in the body. Being self-renewing, they offer a potentially limitless source of cells and tissue. (Tucker)

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Stem Cell Research

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stem cells can help cure diseases, repair damaged organs, and replace the need for organ donors. Stem cells may play a major role in cancer research, treatment, and maybe even a cure. Using stem cells in better treatments for diseases can give economic gains for society. According to the Mayo Clinic, over 100 million suffer from diseases that eventually may be treated more effectively or even cured with embryonic stem cell research (“Stem Cell Transplant”). This may be the greatest opportunity to alleviate the suffering of humans. Stem cell research has a lot of potential; there is a long list of diseases and other conditions that stem cells may be able to treat and possibly one day

    Read More

  • Stem Cell Research Essay

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stem cells are an ongoing research project in which new discoveries are being made about them, and researchers are learning how to use them in new ways. The three current kinds of stem cells all prove to have their own challenges when it comes to using them. The important thing is finding out which stem cell is right for the patient and how much of an ethical concern there is when it comes to using the stem cell. As we learn the best way to use them and they become more popular in the medical field, stem cells will become a new weapon in the fight against certain diseases.

    Read More

  • Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine

    3294 Words  | 7 Pages

    “Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine.” Medschool.umaryland.edu. University of Maryland School of Medicine Web 14 Nov 2013

    Read More

  • Stem Cells Essay

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stem cell research has been around for some time, and many people have been cured from certain diseases because of it. Many scientists observe that embryonic stem cells are easier and flexible to use than adult stem cells Adult cells are diseased curable cells as well to a certain extent because they are taken from certain tissues that are already established in an area of the body. Stem cell research has long ways to go for scientists to be able to use them to cure all cancers, infectious diseases, and other health problems however stem cells are on the path of changing the world.

    Read More

More about Applications for Stem Cell Research

Open Document