Stem Cell Research
It's a warm, sunny summer afternoon and you are taking in the sights while driving a lazy curving lane in the country. You gaze longingly out of your car's window at a beautiful little farm house with acres ad acres of rolling hills and pasture land safely behind white picket fencing. In your minds eye you can see yourself owning that home and all of that land, but what you don't see is the truck barreling down on you from the opposite way. Before you can react the truck slams into your car and your dreamy trip in the country has just turned into a nightmare. One that includes permanent paralysis, massive internal organ injuries, and a lifetime of pain. Or maybe you are someone who has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Parkinson's disease, or maybe even Lou Gehrigs disease. You sit in your hospital bed or doctor's office and think how could this happen to me? What am I going to do now? Unfortunately for situations like these there are few or no options. Paralysis is not reversible, as are most internal organ damages. For those who are diagnosed with cancer or other diseases there are no cures. But one thing gives hope that one day this could change; stem cell research. What is stem cell research? Stem cell research is a extremely controversial, yet highly promising revolution in medical science. Why is this new science so controversial? The controversy and debate lies in one form of stem cell, embryonic.
Around the world, scientists are racing o understand and harness the power of stem cells, the basic building blocs of the body. From these microscopic wonders, all our other cells are formed.(Parade, July 10, 2005) Stem cells are multipotent, having more than one use, or pluripotent, having more than one use and the ability to become something other tan what they are, cells found in three main places of the human body.(Whrer, 2001) Each place where stem cells are found leads to the name o the stem cell. The first is adult stem cells. These cells are found in many kinds of tissue, such as bone marrow, skin, and the liver. Umbilical cord stem cells, as you may have guessed, come from the blood in umbilical cords of new born babies. The stem cells found in cord blood are a rich source of precursors of mature blood cells. Finally there are embryonic stem cells. They are unspecialized cells that may become any type of tissue, such as muscle or nerve cells.(www.stemcellresearchfoundation.org) Embryonic stem cells come from donated human embryos. Each form of stem cells has it's own uses and benefits or potential benefits.
Adult stem cells when transplanted are used to treat blood diseases. Adult stem cells have also been used to treat cardiac infarction, or death of some of the heart tissue. Along with creating new blood cells, adult stem cells also have the capacity to create nerve and muscle cells. The benefits of adult stem cells being used to create new cells is limitless. Recent research says differentiated cells, such as liver cells, can be de-programmed and turned into undefined cells. The vary nature of stem cells has been completely altered with this new technology.
Umbilical rd stem cells offer a perfect match for families which have planed ahead. Cells are extracted from umbilical cords and then stored in cell banks cryogenically as a type of insurance policy to be used on behalf of the new born or family member in the future.(www.allaboutpopularissues.org) Umbilical cord stem cells can be used similarly to adult stem cells. The main difference between the two is that while adult stem cells are a perfect match to the patient, cord blood cells are a match for many family members.
Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile type of cells. They are unspecialized cells that may turn into any type of tissue, such as muscle or nerve cells. Embryonic stem cells are derived primarily from frozen in vitro fertilization embryos.(Parade, July 10,2005) When cells are extracted from the embryo the embryo loses all viability. his means it can never become a human being.
It is with embryonic stem cells that the debate surrounding stem cell research arises. Those who support embryonic stem cell research argue that the embryo is not a life because it has no human characteristics. They also argue that left over in vitro fertilization embryos are going to be destroyed anyway, so they should be put t some good. Supporters of embryonic stem cell research feel a utilitarian ethical argument is perfect for this debate. A utilitarian ethical argument states that it is ethically acceptable to destroy a few human beings n order to benefit millions of patients.(www.physiciansforlife.ca/stemcellprandcon.html)
Those who argue against embryonic stem cell research feel that human embryos are the most vulnerable of human beings and should b protected not destroyed. In their opinion destroying the embryo is the exact same thing as committing murder. They feel this way because the embryo is intentionally destroyed and murder is the intentional killing of another human being. Those opposed to embryonic stem cell research also feel that it is not acceptable to use the argument, let the ends justify the means. For in this case the means of obtaining the stem cells is evil and it is never acceptable to do evil no matter how it may benefit the masses or no matter how good the end result might be They also argue that using embryonic stem cells reduces the embryo to a mere object for the use of others, rather then subjects with inherent ethical rights deserving of equal protection. They feel slavery laws, Nazi medicine, The Tuskegee syphilis experiments and recent government sponsored radiation experiments operate on such a two-tier caste system of "humanity". Also argued by those opposed is; If impending death were criteria for being allowed o kill human beings then we could also kill terminally ill patients, death row inmates, and military service personnel facing combat, for their organs and stem cells too-for the "greater good".(www.physiciansforlife.ca/stemcellproandcon.html)
In recent years there have been great advances in stem cell research. Perhaps the most important advancement was made by Dr. Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University. long with his team of researchers he discovered a way to transform an individual's specialized cells into primitive embryonic stem cells. He called the new technology nuclear transfer or therapeutic cloning. In this method, scientists remove the nucleus or genetic material from an egg provided by a healthy donor. Cells from the patient are then transplanted into the egg, which will divide, becoming an early stage embryo, and develop stem cells that are a genetic match to the patient's. In theory, these cloned stem cells can be removed and later used in the patient to combat a specific disease or repair damaged organs by growing new tissue.(Parade, July 10, 2005) This technology if implemented could completely remove the need to use human embryos in stem cell research, thus eliminating the debate over stem cell research all together. Another benefit to therapeutic cloning is the ability to study stem cells in Petri dishes to discover how diseases develop. Knowing how a disease develops can help lead to better treatments, and someday a cure.
Around the globe researchers are racing to understand ad harness the power of stem ells. In China the government supports many stem cell initiatives and encourages partnerships with private industry. In Singapore, the development of stem cell science is a national priority. Biopolis, a dazzling mini city of cutting edge laboratories and offices, draws biotech companies and some of the best researchers from around he world. The country has committed more than $1.5 billion to Biopolis. Israeli scientists have been leaders in the use of embryonic stem cells to study diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Last year, the government launched an innovative #20 million effort to bring together private companies, hospitals and academic research centers. The United Kingdom is another leader in stem cell research. They created ground breaking fertility procedures in the 1970s and cloned Dolly the sheep in 1996. Last year Great Britain created the first national stem cell bank.(Parade, July 10, 2005) In the global race to understand stem cells and their healing potential, some experts believe the United States is in danger of falling behind. This opinion is significant because in the United States we are too busy arguing about when life begins, the morality of using human embryos, and who is going to pay for stem cell research.
With all of these advancements in stem cell research there is new hope for those who have spinal cord injuries, diseases with no cures, and organ damage or failure. Until the debate over stem cell research is brought to an end there can only be so much advancement. Stem cell research is a new an controversial technology in medical science. The three types of stem cells adult, cord, and embryonic all have their own uses and benefit. The debate over stem cell research centers around embryonic stem cells. Once the debate has reached it's end, we can begin to see real progress in stem cell research and in using the results of that research to better the human condition.
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
