Stem cell research has caused a big ethical debate across the nation. The stem cell lines developed for stem cell research are established from embryos after fertilization. An embryo is then divided into individual cells to create a stem cell line. From the embryo, one cell is placed in a dish and nourished with substances that stimulate the cell to divide, then the resulting line will then continue to divide in a managed environment and if taken care of properly (Creating Stem Cells For Research). The stem cells created can then be used to replace damaged cells. The United States Congress should support stem cell research for helping cure diseases but not for the experimentation of human cloning.
Stem cells create many amazing opportunities and could be very life changing for many people. Many researchers are looking to stem cells for cures to many medical conditions - including type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, osteoporosis, and heart disease. One day, stem cells may be able to halt the progress of such diseases (Brownlee).
Stem cells have two characteristics that other cells do not posses. For one, the stem cells have not committed themselves to being any one cell type, and another is that the stem cells can multiply, sometimes indefinitely, and they maintain the blank slate property and can adapt to any cell type (Brownlee). Although stem cells are uncommitted, researchers say that some cells have fewer options than others. For example, liver can only be a brand of liver and so on. However, in response to chemical messages, the body's native stem cells differentiate by themselves. Even with this possible restriction, the stem cells essential nature - their ability to transform into more than one of the body's 300 cell...
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Scientists would be able to grow spinal cells from pluripotent stem cells. These cells could possibly repair spinal cord damage. Those afflicted by paralysis, such as Christopher Reeve, could possibly move again. Stem cells could also be used to grow nerve cells, possibly combating Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s. While it will be many years before scientists may actually be able to find a way to combat these diseases, there is a great promise in stem cells.
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...
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...
Stem cells have several potential applications. Stem cells can be used to study development by helping us to understand how a complex organism develops from a fertilized egg. Some of the serious medical conditions such as cancer and birth defects which are lead by abnormal cell division and differentiation will have new therapy dealing with stem cell research. Stem cells have the ability to replace damaged cells and treat disease of extensive burns, leukemia (a cancer of blood forming tissues) and other blood disorders. Today, doctor use donated tissues and organs to replace damaged tissue, but the need for the tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. With the stem cells, it can offer the enormous sources of replacement cells and tissues. Third, stem cells could be used to study disease. Today, scientists use stem cells to model disease processes in the laboratory to better understand what goes wrong in the disease genes. Finally, stem cells could provide a resource for testing new medical treatments. Lot of new medications could be tested on specialized cells from stem cell lines which can reduce the animal testing. For example, cancer cell lines are used to screen potential anti tumor drugs to see the effects on cells.
There are many different types of stem cells that are being looked at for research. These include embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent cells. Embryonic stem cells are cells that have the potential to produce many different cells in the body. They are cells that are tak...
“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.
From the discussion above it is very clear that there are different opinions on the pros and cons of stem cell research. Based on the recent researches, scientists have the capability to work out the alternatives for embryonic stem cell research. And the usefulness compare to embryonic stem cell remains unknown. Undeniably, the stem cell research issue has its most complex parts to be resolved and surmounted. But perhaps we can disclose the way to carry out stem cell research with the balance of bioethics and most importantly, do no harm for humankind one day.
Stem cell research is a big debate in today's society. The argument of whether or not it is morally acceptable has been sparked, as well as court cases and religious and political disputes have begun. Stem cells “can only be obtained by destroying human embryos, nearly every Western legislature had noisy and bitter debates.” (“Is the Great Stem Cell
“Stem Cells: The Future of Medicine.” Medschool.umaryland.edu. University of Maryland School of Medicine Web 14 Nov 2013
Cells, and especially stem cells, are a very fascinating thing that should be of interest to everyone on the planet. In a human there are over 200 different types of cells, and in total
In discussing stem cell research and its importance, it is imperative there is an understanding into the controlled ethics that can be put in place to reduce the possible misuse and moral dilemmas that are faced with this type of research.
Stem cell research is a topic almost everybody in the world has a viewpoint on. Many view the issue of stem cell research and stem cell therapy as morally wrong and a crime against humanity, others view the study of stem cells as the next step in modern science. What are stem cells? Stem cells are non-specialized cells that have the capability to mature into more specified cells to help with certain functions or diseases. Cells are the basic building blocks of the human body and these tiny structures compose the skin, muscles, bones, and all of our internal organs. Cells are necessary for our body to live, there are over one-hundred specialized cells in our body. Stem cell research should be supported due to the plethora of potential benefits to the medical community and the human race as a whole.
Stem cells are cells that have the ability to help thousands of people. These cells can help make dreams of finally getting rid of the wheelchair or bed become realities. They have the power to differentiate into any cell type, giving scientists hope that one day they can fix and repair organs damaged by disease or birth defects and help fight against diseases that impair a person’s quality of life. However, it is not the uses or benefits that can come out of using stem cells, but it is how scientists and researchers obtain the stem cells that have sparked debate over if it is ethical, moral, or legal to first acquire, and then use, the cells for human use and research. Stem cells can be obtained through a mother having an abortion, excess embryos through in vitro fertilization, or by saving the umbilical cord by freezing it and using it for future needs. The other controversial part of using embryos for stem cells is the idea that an embryo has the potential of becoming a human being and therefore should have a moral status the same as a person. These are the areas that mainly spark the debate over stem cells.