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Stem cells in the medical field
Advantages and disadvantages of using stem cells for therapeutic purposes
Advantages and disadvantages of using stem cells for therapeutic purposes
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Many believe synthetic cells will change the world we live in today. Recent developments in this field have proven that statement to be true. This development will impact the world in many ways; they will affect everything scientists know about this new synthetic life form. Synthetic cells have caused a stir in the debate of ethics, the effects of the cells, and the fields to which they apply. Though this recent creation has several negative effects, synthetic cells have impacted the world in more positive ways than negative.
Embryonic stem cells have caused a controversy since the conception of this great development, Anna David, Professor of University College London says, “I think (there’s) a lot more of an understanding about what’s
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The cells could also be used to diagnose diseases in humans and animals, and could be used to develop drugs and vaccines, thus increasing efficiency in bio manufacturing and chemical technology (“How did scientists succeed in creating ‘minimal’ genome?”). The public sees the cons of this new development to the unpredictability of the creation. Adina Roskies, a professor of philosophy and bioethics Dartmouth College states, “I don’t think there’s anything on the face of it that’s particularly troubling. It doesn’t seem different, really, than fiddling with genomes, which we’ve been able to do for a while” (“Is Synthetic Life …show more content…
The synthetic cells apply their work to other fields such as in industry. The creator of the cells Craig Venter, has co-founded a company has been made to harness synthetic cells for making industrial products, says that the achievement messengers the creation of customized cells to make drugs, fuels and other products. But there has been an explosion in powerful ‘gene-editing’ techniques, which enable relatively easy and selective tinkering with genomes, “The idea of building whole genomes is one of the dreams and promises of synthetic biology,” says Paul Freemont, a synthetic biologist at Imperial College London (“‘Minimal’ cell raises stakes in race to harness synthetic life”). In the medical field, adult stem cells have been discovered to be used for medical treatments such as bone marrow transplants, whereas embryonic stem cells can be developed into tissue types stem cell “lines” (“About Synthetic Biology’). The discovery of the ability to grow cells allows scientists to replicate living cell
Stem cell therapy is a controversial topic that falls on the list of things not to discuss over thanksgiving dinner, very much like religion and politics. While the potential of stem cell research and therapy stand to make leaps of progression in cures for disease like Cancer and Alzheimer’s; Pros, Cons and morality still surround the issue.
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.
Francis (Ed.), At Issue. Should the Government Fund Embryonic Stem Cell Research?. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (2009). (Reprinted from, n.d.) (Reprinted from Science Magazine, 22 September 2006) Retrieved from http://padme.cochise.edu:2067/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&prodId=OVIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010587207&userGroupName=sier28590&jsid=67271fc8c381f89007dff41cfd3813e6
Reaves, J. (2001, July 11). The great debate over stem cell research. Time, Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,167245,00.html
...velopment of tissues to replace damaged organs in the human body. Scientists have discovered for the first time how stem cells could be generated from embryo’s that were produced using adult stem cells.
The ethical issues behind the method in which stem cells are obtained out weigh the benefits of stem cell therapy. We should not try to play God, in the aspect of creation of living beings just to be sacrificed for the “betterment of mankind”. Many egregious acts have been committed under the guise of “the greater good”. This is one instance in which the ends do not justify the means.
Synthetic Biology is “the design and construction of new biological parts, devices, systems, and the re-designing of existing, natural biological systems for useful purpose” ("Synthetic Biology"). In the essay A Synthetic World by Seirian Sumner, he illustrates the possible outcomes of synthetic biology and how it specifically affects the “natural world.” Furthermore, he explains that by manipulating organisms goes completely
Monroe, Kristen, et al., eds. Fundamentals of the Stem Cell Debate: The Scientific, Religious, Ethical and Political Issues. Los Angeles/Berkley: University of California Press, 2008. Print
...oll(2010), around 33% of U.S. voters believe that taxpayers’ money should be spent on embryonic stem cell research and more than 50% of the voters disagree that taxpayers’ money should go the research(Roe, 2010). Hence, it is believed that government should not fund the stem cell research.
By applying research from cloning normal cells to cloning stem cells, a wider range of people can be helped, and the cost of procedures will be lowered. Scientific research into cloning will allow doctors study how to safely replicate
Although humans have altered the genomes of species for thousands of years through artificial selection and other non-scientific means, the field of genetic engineering as we now know it did not begin until 1944 when DNA was first identified as the carrier of genetic information by Oswald Avery Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty (Stem Cell Research). In the following decades two more important discoveries occurred, first the 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, by Watson and Crick, and next the 1973 discovery by Cohen and Boyer of a recombinant DNA technique which allowed the successful transfer of DNA into another organism. A year later Rudolf Jaenisch created the world’s first transgenic animal by introducing foreign DNA into a mouse embryo, an experiment that would set the stage for modern genetic engineering (Stem Cell Research). The commercialization of genetic engineering began largely in 1976 wh...
Before we begin to delve into the ethical depths of biotechnology and genetic engineering, we must first understand how this technology works. To do this let’s start by discussing cells. All organisms are made up of microscopic entities called cells. The human body consists of about ten trillion cells of about two hundred different types, such as skin cells, blood cells, and muscle cells. To gain a general understanding of how cells work, we will look at some of the simplest cells possible- bacteria cells. Once we have an understanding of how bacteria work, it is not hard to see how cells function in other organisms.
The controversy of these issues stems from the immense potential in genetic sciences for both positive use and harmful misuse. Though the questions and fears of critics reflect the wisdom of caution, the potentially unlimited benefits mandate that we pursue these technologies.
The purpose of this document is to learn about the new and exciting developments in the biotech industry. Besides lives being effected, the companies and the markets in which they reside will be as well. It’s vitally important to learn about the new technologies since there is a very good chance that million’s of others, and mostly likely yours truly will ingest a new drug, or have a new procedure preformed.
Scientists and the general population favor genetic engineering because of the effects it has for the future generation; the advanced technology has helped our society to freely perform any improvements. Genetic engineering is currently an effective yet dangerous way to make this statement tangible. Though it may sound easy and harmless to change one’s genetic code, the conflicts do not only involve the scientific possibilities but also the human morals and ethics. When the scientists first used mice to practice this experiment, they “improved learning and memory” but showed an “increased sensitivity to pain.” The experiment has proven that while the result are favorable, there is a low percentage of success rate. Therefore, scientists have concluded that the resources they currently own will not allow an approval from the society to continually code new genes. While coding a new set of genes for people may be a benefitting idea, some people oppose this idea.