Although a controversial topic in the medical field, research suggests stem cell research is advantageous because it can potentially treat life threatening diseases, repair failing organs, and be used to test new medicines. Human embryonic stem cells were first isolated in 1998 by Dr. James Thomson and his group at the University of Wisconsin. Adult stem cells are cells that are taken from a human being and are already differentiated, meaning that they can’t become another cell other than the cells from the tissue they were collected. Embryonic Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into any cell, whether it be neurons in the brain, to a skin graft. Scientists used to harvest stem cells by creating an embryo with donated eggs and sperm, but many disagreed with the method of aborting a life just for research purposes. So instead they decided to use the leftover embryos from in-vitro fertilization procedures (with donors consent). When in-vitro fertilization is performed, the eggs are fertilized in a petri dish in a medical lab. Embryos are formed, and only a few are actually used to try and create a baby. Most times, though, a few too many embryos will be created and not used. So they will be frozen and stored. So scientists thought that instead of creating an embryo just for its stem cells, they would use the ones already created but have no current use. The embryo cannot develop any further unless implanted into a uterus. The main reason for the controversy over stem cell research is that the embryos are ultimately destroyed after the stem cells are removed. Many religions believe that a human life is formed as soon as the sperm fertilizes the egg. They believe the destruction of the embryos to be akin to murder. ... ... middle of paper ... ...e heart, liver, or kidney’s and use the cells from them to test new drugs. If the cells react harshly to the medicine, then that would be an indicator that the drug is not ready for human trials. How drugs react to people with different genetic backgrounds would be discovered and would make it possible for personalized medicine. Personalized medicine would make it so pharmaceutical companies could produce medicine that are safe and successful for certain people. Scientists are working to better understand how a cell develops normally, so they can hopefully understand how the process takes a wrong turn and people end up with genetic diseases or congenial defects. It is impossible to see in a living patient, how a disease forms and then progresses at a cellular level. So, Scientists are working to identify how diseases develop and advance at a cellular level.
Stem cell research has always been a widely debated topic in 'social and political forums' ever since the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973. In that case the Supreme Court gave women the right to have an abortion whether or not they have a medical reason to. Whereas beforehand 'they needed a medical reason'. This "sparked controversy" over stem cell research with aborted fetuses. For many of those in favor of using fetal tissue for research it has too much "potential" in the future of medicine in terms of providing cures for diseases and "". Those against fetal tissue research believe it unethical to take one human life in order to preserve another.
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.
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can differentiate themselves into specific cell type. There are two types of stem cells. The first one is the adult's stem cell. These stem cells can be found in various places in an adult human body, like the brain, the bone marrow or the liver. The other type of stem cells is the embryonic stem cells. These cells are found in embryos before its implantation in the mother's uterus. At this stage the embryo is divided in two types of cell. The first one is the outer cluster of cell that forms the embryo that will become part of the placenta once the embryo hatch. And the inner cluster is the source of embryonic stem cell since it consists of undifferentiated cell that will divide and differentiate to form all the organs and tissue needed in an adult organism. As stem cell are undifferentiated cell they can become whatever cell type is needed in an organism and could be the solution to diseases that are, at this date, incurable. (Medical News Today, 2013). Most of the ethic's problem of the stem cells researches come from the embryonic stem cell researches and how the cells are collected. Embryonic stem cells can be obtained in several ways. The first one is after a couple's fertility treatment, there might be some embryos left and the couple can decide to donate their embryos to research. The second option is to collect stem cells from a foetus after an abortion. And the last possibility is to use therapeutic cloning. Using an ovum from witch the nucleus was taken off and the nucleus of a somatic cell, the origin of this cell in the body doesn't matter, it can come from the skin for example, it is possible to create an embryo and get the stem cell from the created embryo. But in all of...
While many support embryonic stem cell research, some people oppose it say that it is an unethical practice. According to these people, embryonic stem cells require murdering a baby, human life is defined by rational beings, those capable of rational thought or a consciousness. In order to be rational one must have a consciousness, the ability to have thoughts and feel pain, to begin with. “For a fertilized egg, there is no consciousness and also no history of consciousness” (Stem). If abortions are allowed within the United States, why shouldn’t embryonic stem cell research be? Another claim against embryonic stem cell research is that it devalues human lives. “Some argue that researching embryonic stem cells will lead us into cloning technology” (Embryonic). While embryonic cloning is a possibility, we already possess the capabilities to clone so cloning is an invalid argument. The final argument against embryonic stem cell research is that there are alternatives, like adult stem cells. While adult stem cells may be utilized, they won’t be as effective. Embryonic stem cells are not only efficient but also renewable. They can be grown in a culture where as adult stem cells are extremely rare, if there are any. They can only be found in mature tissue. Isolating these extremely rare cells is challenging and has a high failure rate if not harvested correctly. “One major difference between adult and embryonic stem cells is their different abilities in the number and type of differentiated cell types they can become” (Stem). Using adult stem cells we might never understand our development from conception ...
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...
...hich inherited traits, such as those for genetic disease, can be tracked over generations. Throughout out the course of human development, scientists will continue to find new new ways to help the human race through the discovery of the human gene inside of each of us, its uses, as well as complications, that can help the survival of our species.
...in the fields of both science and medicine, future epidemics of any disease can be handled better. When a lethal disease begins to rampage a population, research on similar epidemics can help the world contain, cure, and prevent the disease to protect the world and its population.
Stem cells are located deep down in our bone marrow. They have the incredible ability of “generating an endless supply of red cells, white cells, and platelets”(1). They have been called the “Mother of all blood cells” due to their ability to regenerate the entire blood supply of a persons body. Just to think that this is possible is actually pretty incredible. The man who claims to be responsible for the discovery of this gem is a immunologist from Stanford University named Irving Weissman, and his collaborators at SyStemix, (a biotech company that he cofounded in 1988, located in Palo Alto, CA). He and his company are so confident about these cells, not only have they obtained a government patent on the process by which these specific cells are separated from other cells, they have also patented the cells themselves. They have even convinced Sandoz Ltd. (a giant Swiss drug-and-chemical company) to purchase 60 percent of the stock for SyStemix for a reported 392 million dollars.
How would one know if there is life outside human life? Science makes that possible. Society would not know any type of information related to science, if there was no one investigating it. Thus, without the continuous advancements individuals produce, this information would still remain unknown. Physicists, microbiologists, scientists, biochemists, biologist and any other scientific-related career dedicate to further the growth in the scientific field. Endless effort is being implemented to give society the most efficient technology and up-date scientific findings.
The age of genetic technology has arrived. Thanks to genetic technological advancements, medical practitioners, with the help of genetic profiling, will be able to better diagnose patients and design individual tailored treatments; doctors will be able to discern which medications and treatments will be most beneficial and produce the fewest adverse side effects. Rationally designed vaccines have been created to provide optimal protection against infections. Food scientists have hopes of genetically altering crops to increase food production, and therefore mitigate global hunger. Law enforcement officers find that their job is made easier through the advancement of forensics; forensics is yet another contribution of genetic technology. Doctors have the ability to identify “high-risk” babies before they are born, which enables them to be better prepared in the delivery room. Additionally, oncologists are able to improve survival rates of cancer patients by administering genetically engineered changes in malignant tumors; these changes result in an increased immune response by the individual. With more than fifty years of research, and billions of dollars, scientists have uncovered methods to improve and prolong human life and the possibilities offered by gene therapy and genetic technology are increasing daily.
Genetic testing, also known as screening, is a rapidly advancing new scientific field that can potentially revolutionize not only the world of medicine, but many aspects of our lives. Genetic screening is the sequencing of human DNA in order to discover genetic differences, anomalies, or mutations that may prove pathological. As genetic screening becomes more advanced and easily accessible, it presents society with difficult questions that must be asked about the boundaries of science and to what degree we are allowed to tamper with the human genome. To better understand the potential impact of genetic screening on our society, we must examine the potential benefits in comparison to the possible negative impact it may cause. With this knowledge in hand, we can examine what the future holds for this field of study and the best possible direction to take.
This is important as researchers have made strides and even began performing trials on humans for the likes of Huntington’s disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease. If they are able to progress and further develop medicine through these trials, life threatening diseases may be able to be treated, halted, and even reversed. Therefore, humans may one day be able to continue living with no complications or anomalies. These studies will affect all human beings in one form or another as disease and harm is all around us, whether it be you or someone you know or even someone you do not know that can be
In our experiments we went to look how cells function and what are their features. In finding this information, I know have a better understanding of how cells function and their specific features.
For example it could be used to give individuals characteristics that are considered to be desirable. This reminds some people of some of the programmes that have been used throughout modern history to eradicate less powerful ethnic groups. Also this treatment may stop genetic disorders but this could lead to everybody being cured of illness. Therefore if people don’t die of the genetic disorders the world would become over populated.
Medicine is one area that constantly looks to use prior knowledge to discover new things. Take the HeLa cells for instance. The initial discover of these cells occurred in 1951. These cells came from a black woman named Henrietta Lacks. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer. He doctor took a segment of her tumor and sent it to Dr. George Otto Grey, who was the first scientist to successfully grow human cells in a culture. These cells would go on to be used in research for cloning, the polio vaccine, gene mapping and in virto fertilization. These cells were important to science because no scientist had an endless supply of cells ...