STEM CELL

Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

Thesis Statement

The use of human embryonic stem cells in scientific research has held great promise for some but this research has also produced powerful objections from others. Although genetic disorder testing for fetuses can help families prepare to care for a child with a genetic disorder, positive tests can cause much mental unrest for a mother.

Introduction

Stem cells are the cells present in animals (human also) only. They are often identified as the major components of regenerative medicine-medicine involving the development of new organs, tissues and new cell to swap or fix those injured by wound, sickness or aging. Every organ and tissue in the body is composed of separate cells. The skin cells, for example, are dissimilar from those of the heart. It is therefore not possible to relocate a cell from a tissue or an organ to another. However, all cells have one object in general: they come from one cell source. Early in the development of the organism, these cells can become any tissue or organ that is to say that they are not yet specialized. These cells are called stem cells.

Stem cells are the ancestors of all the cells of the human body. Stem cells are so special since they are reproduce able and flexible. They have the capability to reproduce and to fix or swap other tissues of the human body. Some tissues such as skin must constantly renew itself, which would not occur without the stem cells of the skin. Other stem cells fix injuries to the body tissues, for example, degeneration or rebuilding of damaged muscle tissue. Recent research indicates that the malfunction or damage to stem cells may be responsible for some cancers and even muscle degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Stem cell function research is an essential component for the discovery of treatments for these diseases and other diseases (Kathryn, 2001).

Stem cells have two significant properties that differentiate them from other cell types. First, they are unspecialized, and can regenerate themselves for long time using cell division method. Then when they get biochemical signals, they can set apart. This means they can be divided into cells that contain particular functions such as heart muscle cells, respiratory, or cells of the pancreas that produce insulin.

Discussion

Stem cells differ in their origins and malleability. Adult stem cells are found in particular tissues of the body and comprise of stem cells of the skin, neural stem cells and blood stem cells (hematopoietic). Hematopoietic is found in bone marrow, in the blood of adults and in the blood inside the umbilical cord. Fetal stem cells from fetal tissue are discarded and the human embryonic stem cells (hESC) derived from blastocyst of five days precursors' embryo. (www.cbhd.org N.d)

There is an ongoing debate about the properties that have the adult human cells and HESC. Research on adult stem cells continues to assess the capacity of differentiation, which may be further restricted than that of hESCs. The second difference between the specialized stem cells ...