STEM CELL RESEARCH

Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

Introduction

The advancement in technology has lead to the treatment of many diseases. Stem cell research has provided hope and has brought optimism among the scientists and doctors in curing the patients who suffered or died due to the once called "untreatable" diseases decades ago. Stem cells are the ones which can develop into any type of a body cell including the cells of blood, liver, brain, muscles, and many more. They are found in adult bone marrow, embryos, fetuses, and blood from the umbilical cord. Stem cell research is the latest advancement in biotechnology which shows how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. This technique has lead scientists to research about the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine(Wiggins, 2001, 46).

Analysis

The stem cell formation involves several steps. Early in development, a human embryo is made up of a hollow ball of cells called a "blastocyst". Blastocyst cells divide and form into the tissues and organs of a human body. This process is called as "differentiation". Embryonic stem cells can be grown in the laboratory from blastocysts and made to differentiate into nerve, liver, muscle, blood, and other cells. Scientists believe that this would help to replace cells in diseased organs in human beings. Embryonic stem cells can also be used to test the effects of new drugs without harming animals or people. It is a life changing technique and should be allowed, however, some opponents claim it to be immoral. The opponents claim that since the cells come from embryo, therefore they are alive and extracting these cells means the death of a living organism which is immoral(Jones, 2005, 199).

Significant Impact

Stem cell research can have a significant impact on regenerative medicine and therapeutic cloning. Regenerative medicine involves the use of stems cells for the growth, either in the test tube in the laboratory or in a human body, for consecutive transplantation. The tissue or organ parts can repair or replace those damaged by abnormalities, aging, disease or injury. While, therapeutic cloning is a procedure in which cells are taken from a patient (often from skin) and inserted into a fertilized egg whose nucleus has been removed. The resulting cell is stimulated to divide repeatedly to form a blastocyst. Stem ...