The Use Of Embryonic Stem Cells In Medicine

Imagine a world free from disease. The idea of a utopian society has been far from reality until the research from embryonic stem cell therapy surfaced. Since former president George W. Bush banned federal funding on embryonic stem cell research in 2001 it has caused a halt in advancements and caused controversy in the public. According to an article by Beau Watts, an accredited physician; embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells (Beau Watts). This means they have not decided what function they perform yet. Since the cells do not know the function, it can be determined by scientists. As described in the “Guidelines for the conduct of human embryonic research” by the international stem cell society; medical professionals can take an embryonic stem cell and “reprogram” it to eliminate the disease. Today 2,200 people died from heart disease (American heart association). Heart disease is only one of many diseases that can be cured by embryonic stem cell research. Religious and/or conservative groups now condemn the research, for multiple reasons. Embryonic stem cells are donated by patients of in-vitro fertilization. After a “round” of IVF, they can choose to donate, freeze, or discard their leftover embryos. Embryos contain two layers, it is the innermost layer that contains the cells used in embryonic stem cell research (Society for stem cell research). It is very important to know that, the embryos that could be used in the research are donated upon request of the patient.

These cells come from fetuses which is why stem cells are such a controversial issue. In order to actually use embryonic cells, they must be harvested from an unborn baby that is in the early stages of life. Embryonic cells have the ability to be all 220 types of tissues in the human body. “This makes them ideal for regenerating diseased heart tissue, repairing spinal cords, and replenishing brain cells”, Elizabeth Svoboda, an author in the publicized Popular Science magazine, illustrates in her article about stem cells (60). Embryonic cells have limitless possibilities in medical advancement. These cells can become whatever type of cell a doctor program them to be. With the use of embryonic stem cells, doctors can cure several diseases, as well as curing people who have suffered injuries, but research is being slowed down by the ethical dilemma of aborting a

Many of us have all heard the saying that a “lizard can lose its tail,” and bizarrely enough it will grow back. This was always considered impossible for humans, an idea belonging in the realm of science fiction, but now the regeneration of tissue is an extremely realistic possibility. Despite some opinions, this process does not happen naturally, or take place as cinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research.

Once there is an understanding of how embryonic cells are taken from the body, it can be explained why they should be used contrary to the beliefs some people have. First, Embryonic cells can cure diseases. For example, if someone is paralyzed, doctors can take an embryonic cell and use this to cure the patient (nih.gov). A man named Rusty Leech, from Michigan, was able to regain sensation in his body, when he previously could not because of a car accident. Two months of physical therapy and embryonic stem cell injections enabled him to regain feeling below his waist again. He has regained limited muscle use to help him go to the bathroom and move his legs a little on his own. “The results were unbelievable, to feel the sensations in my body that weren’t

It has the ability to form any type of specific cell and thus has the greatest potential for treatments in the near future.  A more recent development in stem cell research is the creation of induced pluripotent cells, which are adult cells that become undifferentiated through a series of treatments.  Induced pluripotent stem cells have a number of benefits because the destruction of embryos is not necessary and there are no issues with immune response or rejection because the cells come from the patient.  However, it will be a long time before this type of cell become widely used on humans because the method used is not completely understood and has negative side effects.  In animal testing, “…the virus used to introduce the stem cell factors sometimes causes cancers” (“Stem cell basics”).  Therefore, embryonic stem cells should be an important part of stem cell research.  Even if induced pluripotent cells can replace embryonic cells in the future, the knowledge gained from current embryonic cell research would still be very applicable.   Unfortunately, research is very time and resource intensive, which is where the debate of federal funding comes into play.

The controversy due to embryonic stem cells is quite debatable. Both sides present many strong reasons that prove their point, but it is still, frankly, nearly impossible to take a stand from an unbiased view. "This is the first study showing that embryonic stem cells can be used for brain and spinal cord repair in an animal model of a human neurological disease," said researcher Oliver BrŸstle (a neuropathologist at the University of Bonn in Germany) referring to the study done on rats (CNN). Just like Oliver BrŸstle many scientists around the world agree that embryonic stem cell show much welcomed hope of cure of spinal and brain repair. In addition to healing spinal and brain injuries, the embryonic stem cells can also treat diabetes, a disease which 54%

The embryonic stem cells can be used for various medical cure. It can help treat diseases including Parkinson's, stroke, heart disease and diabetes. The embryonic stem cells are cells that can easily be transformed into any cell. This can help treat many diseases but this may also increase the number of women selling their eggs and undergo dangerous procedure to do. We don’t agree with the use of the embryonic stem cells for research.

"Embryonic stem cells are special because they are the only cells that can make all parts of the body,” said Douglas Melton, in an interactive videoconference available at athome.harvard.edu. The conference was hosted in New York and broadcasted to Cambridge, Washington D.C., and Naples, Florida on March 2, 2004. "Embryonic stem cells can do everything. So if you want to work on replenishing tissues, that’s where you go."

Imagine living in a world without cancer, Parkinson 's, or even diabetes. While everyone may wish this is true, people are against a way that researchers can make this possible, which would be by the use of stem cells. There is major controversy on whether or not stem cell research should be allowed, especially when it comes to embryonic stem cell research. Although many consider it to be killing a potential life form, embryonic stem cell research may eventually be acceptable to use because there is consent and a lengthy process to make sure the donor understands what their embryonic stem cells will be used for. That may be viewed as a much better

Embryonic Stem Cell research can cause tumors from rapid growth when injected into patients. (Institute of Creation Research). The use of Embryonic Stem Cell Research on human organs can include continued use of drugs to prevent rejection from the human body. The research may be difficult because of the many existing stem cell lines that were grown with the nourishment of mouse cells. (Institute for Creation Research). There are more risks to consider when using the Embryonic Stem Cell research. In Conclusion, the Embryonic Stem Cell research has no future promise of a cure, and it should not be funded by the Federal

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to be transformed into any type of cell. In Stem Cell Research Medical Applications and Ethical Controversy written by Joseph Panno Ph.D. he states that “In culture embryonic stem cells are immortal, proliferating indefinitely while retaining an embryonic phenotype.” This is why they have become ideal for regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine

While embryonic stem cells can restore and repair tissue, there also can be a risk when inducing them into

They are will be many people’s lives saved because the wait can be so long to wait when it comes to an organ. There is many cons to why not to do research on embryonic stems cells. The cells are derived from a human embryos and for them to be obtained the embryo must be disassembled. Then the once done disassembling the component cells are then grown in culture. Many people believe that life begins at conception so the stem cells used for research should have a legal treatment and status as a human beings. Embryonic stem cells can cause tumors due to rapid growth when injected into adults. The human embryonic stem cells will require the use of drugs which is lifelong so as to prevent rejection of the tissue.

“Researchers derive the human embryonic stem cells from the “inner cell mass” of blastocyst stage embryos that develop in culture within five days of fertilization of the oocyte. To obtain the embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed.” (Human embryonic).

One popular type of stem cell research is embryotic stem cell research. Embryotic stem cells are undifferentiated cells that show promise in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Undifferentiated cells are cells that have the potential to become any type of cell they want, but once grown with a certain type of cell they will differentiate, or mature into that specific type of cell (Farrell and Carson-Dewitt). Embryotic stem cells can be used to replace different tissues in the body after a serious accident. Experts say, “Stem cells are expected to be the most useful in treating multigenic diseases – those that arise from problems with various genes and are