Stem Cell Research

Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research could pave the way to a new era in medicine, but it remains a very controversial topic. Scientists believe that stem cell research will eventually be used to treat many diseases and illnesses. However, human embryonic stem cells cannot be derived without destroying embryos. Human stem cell research provoked ethical and religious questions that many people hold very different opinions about. Stem cells have a very unique ability to renew themselves, and that is why many scientists agree they are valuable and may provide opportunity to create specialized cells for a specific problem. But many people oppose stem cell research because they believe the extraction of embryonic stem cells is an act of murder and that those embryos have a right to life.

"Stem cell research is the most promising path to curing many severe diseases and disabling medical conditions. It may yield remedies for such conditions as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, MS, ALS, and certain forms of cancer and heart disease (NIH)."

Stem cells and their power of replicating can change the way we live. When the cell divides, it can generate more stem cells just like itself, or it can produce specialized cells. This is why they are called stem cells, because of the different cells that can stem from it. These stem cells are important tissue regenerators. And they are pivotal in forming and maintaining tissues, which proves they are important and very useful in the future of medicine. For instance, one study showed that bone marrow stem cells could possibly improve the condition of heart attack victims by generating new muscle cells that fortify the heart (Snow).

Stem cell research serves the purpose of providing crucial information for basic scientific knowledge of human development. This kind of knowledge is important for developing cures or new approaches to many devastating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or paralysis. Stem cell research gives the opportunity to learn, with the help of stem cell lines, to prevent diseases and lead to new therapies in the future. Some people believe that stem cells cannot be derived without destroying embryos. I think the study of stem cells should be allowed with the use of aborted fetuses but I understand the concern with the development of new embryos solely for the purpose of the research. Along with this research is IVF and many people also believe that it is unethical and wrong. In-vitro fertilization involves both the deliberate destruction of embryos and the deliberate creation of embryos. Unfortunately, many people think that IVF is not a part of stem cell research, even though stem cells are in use with IVF. Stem cell research grows the stem cells in laboratories to form specific tissues. IVF grows embryonic stem cells in the laboratories to form a fertilized egg (Parsons).

Stem cells can be used in many ways to prevent and potentially cure diseases and disabilities. It is amazing that stem cells in the blood can migrate to damaged tissue and repair them. Medical researchers are interested in using stem cells to repair or replace damaged body tissues because stem cells are less likely than other foreign cells to be rejected by the immune system when they are implanted in the body. Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to develop into every type of tissue found in an adult. I don't think we should throw that knowledge away when we could defiantly use this research to our benefit. It is time we take advantage of the valuable information science had discovered and begin to use it instead of wasting it (Snow).

Embryonic cells were first isolated in the lab in1998; the work was in a very early stage, and no studies have yet gone beyond using animals. Claims that are often made, that "stem cells have been curing people for years" are true. What is not said is that these cures have been accomplished with adult blood cells, called bone-marrow transplants, and treat blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. They were discovered more than forty years ago, and in all that time no advances have been made with diseases like Parkinson's, or conditions like spinal cord injuries (ASCH).

"Regenerative medicine, based