PRO-STEM CELL

Pro-Stem Cell Research

Pro-Stem Cell Research

Introduction

In recent years, we have seen how stem cells or stem has grown from a concept of scientific interest mainly in the field of developmental biology, to occupy many pages in scientific journals and the press. The knowledge in this field of medicine been occurring almost daily so triggered the expectations of patients and physicians that stem cells will help cure many devastating human diseases such as diabetes, disease Parkinson, myocardial infarction, or many others. In the center, of scientific debate, political and ethical stood and research using embryonic stem cells. Along these lines, we will discuss some basic concepts which are the stem cells, which mean versatility of adult stem cells and what evidence supports the existence of pluripotent adult stem cells (Beachy, et al, 2004).

Discussion

Define the dilemma

The interest has focused on what some consider the "regenerative medicine revolution", based primarily on new knowledge about the biology and potential of stem cells to become cells of different tissues. These discoveries have created great expectations for cell therapy application in different diseases, which sometimes led to exaggerations that have overshadowed the reality with the use of stem cells (Beachy, et al, 2004). The whole environment has triggered a broad and often passionate ethical debate, which included as outstanding issue of stem cell sources, making great emphasis on obtaining and using embryonic stem cells, and the stem cell that could be the best therapeutic option. The main controversy revolves around embryonic stem cells and the use of human embryos. About the sources of stem cells, it can be stated that the application of adult stem cells has increased, particularly those from the bone marrow, which have achieved very encouraging results (Beachy, et al, 2004).

These cells can be extracted directly from the bone marrow, peripheral blood, which previously mobilized, through the use of growth promoting factors, such as granulocyte colony stimulating factor, and can also be collected from umbilical cord blood the newborn. Recently, promising results achieved also with stem cells extracted from adipose tissue through liposuction. In these cases, ethical constraints used in clinical trials, including informed consent donor / recipient cells, because autologous, do not present the drawbacks of allogeneic. In the minors, informed consent must be signed by parents or guardians and that consent should be issued when the umbilical cord blood drawn and signed by the mother of the newborn or both parents, as regulated. In all these situations, explained to the signatories of the document the potential benefits and risks of the procedure, which should be very detailed in the text to be, signed (Beachy, Karhadkar, et al, 2004).

What are viable choices to solve the dilemma?

The choice that would be most suitable in order to get the best possible method for the successful implementation of the stem cell test in real life situation would be to conduct extensive research on the stem cell. This is said because of the fact that, it is only through conducting extensive research that the best possible alternative ...