| Stem Cell Research
I think it is about time for another informative debate in the Water Cooler so here we go.
Many people are hopeful, and optimistic that Stem Cell Research will cure many diseases in the future. Some disorders and diseases have all ready been cured by the use of Stem Cells. There are three main ways to obtain stem cells. Here is brief description from wikopedia of those three ways.
Adult stem cells
Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found among differentiated cells of a specific tissue and are mostly multipotent cells. They are already being used in treatments for over one hundred diseases and conditions.
They are more accurately called somatic (Greek σωμα sōma = body) stem cells, because they need not come from adults but can also come from children or umbilical cords. Particularly interesting are adult stem cells termed "spore-like cells". They are present in all tissues (Vacanti, M. P., A. Roy, J. Cortiella, L. Bonassar, and C. A. Vacanti. 2001. "Identification and initial characterization of spore-like cells in adult mammals." J Cell Biochem 80:455–60.) and seem to survive long time periods and harsh conditions.
Embryonic stem cells
Embryonic stem cells are cultured cells obtained from the undifferentiated inner mass cells of an early stage human embryo (sometimes called a blastocyst, which is an embryo that is between 50 to 150 cells). Embryonic stem cell research is "thought to have much greater developmental potential than adult stem cells," according to the National Institutes of Health.[2] Research using embryonic stem cells remains at the zenith of stem cell science because, unlike somatic cells, embryonic stem cells are totipotent. However, research using stem cells derived from the human embryo is still in the basic research phase, as these stem cells were first isolated in 1998 (at least for humans), whereas adult stem cells have been studied since the 1960s.[3]
Research with embryonic stem cells derived from humans is controversial because, in order to start a stem cell 'line' or lineage, the destruction of a human embryo and/or therapeutic cloning is usually required. Some believe this to be a slippery slope to reproductive cloning and tantamount to the objectification of a potential human being. In an attempt to overcome these moral, political and ethical hurdles, medical researchers have been experimenting with alternative techniques of obtaining embryonic stem cells by extraction, which does not involve cloning and/or the destruction of a human embryo.
Cord blood stem cells
Cord blood stem cells are derived from the blood of the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. Since 1988 these cord blood stem cells have been used to treat Gunther's disease, Hunter syndrome, Hurler syndrome, Acute lymphocytic leukemia and many more problems occurring mostly in children.
Umbilical cord blood use has become so common that there are now umbilical cord blood banks that accept donations from parents. It is collected by removing the umbilical cord, cleansing it and withdrawing blood from the umbilical vein. This blood is then immediately analyzed for infectious agents and the tissue-type is determined. The cord blood is processed and depleted of red blood cells before being stored in liquid nitrogen for later use, at which point it is thawed, washed of the cryoprotectant, and injected through a vein of the patient. This kind of treatment, where the stem cells are collected from another donor, is called allogeneic treatment. When the cells are collected from the same patient on whom they will be used, it is called autologous and when collected from identical individuals (i.e. homozygous twin), it is referred to as syngeneic. Xenogeneic
What is very controversial about Stem Cell research is Embryonic Stem Cell Research and in fact it is illegal in the U.S.
So what is your take on this?
I am against Embryonic Stem Cell Research because of the fact that the the cells are taken from an embryo. I support the other two types. |