Stem Cells May Have The Answer to Cure Cancer

Stem Cells: An Answer to Our Problems

It’s projected that there could be over a million new reports of cancer along with over five hundred thousand deaths as a result this year.(“Cancer Facts and Figures”) Imagine that there is a way to change these terrifying statistics. We’re actually only a couple steps away from this accomplishment due to stem cell research. Stem cells have the ability to not only cure cancer and other diseases but to also fix defects in the human body like blindness. These cells can do so by a process called differentiation, where unspecialized stem cells produce particular cells needed in the body such as muscle, red blood or brain cells. Stem cells can continue to proliferate for long periods of time due to their long-term self-renewal.

There are two types of stem cells that scientists usually study: embryonic stem cells and somatic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are obtained from embryos that are produced by eggs via in-vitro fertilization, a method of mixing the egg and sperm in a lab. (“Stem Cell Basics”) After, they are offered to labs for investigations with the donor’s permission. The cells stay unspecialized while being grown under certain circumstances; however, spontaneous specialization can happen which is hard to keep under control. Direct differentiation has restricted the random change of cells by several different procedures made by scientists.(“Stem Cell Basics”) Somatic or adult stem cells’ purpose is to preserve and mend the tissues or organs they’re in. These cells normally produce the cell type of the tissue or organ they are in. For example, a blood-forming cell in bone marrow cannot create the cells of a muscle. (“Stem Cell Basics”) Stem cells are found in many parts of t...

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...ryos for cells, then it is okay to do so. According to the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, an isolated fertilized egg does not enjoy the full status of personhood.” (Abernathy 2) Stem cells already have so many positive benefits but if we continue to study them then we can find even more perks.

For all these reasons, scientists should continue to research stem cells for the next couple decades. Although there is some opposition in the research, stem cells may one day be able to fix most of the defects in the human body and cure diseases in the world by introducing new types of treatments for medical patients. Scientists can change the statistics of cancer patients. In the future, diseases could be almost nonexistent along with problems in the body. People could live longer, healthier and happier lives and focus on other issues present in the world.