Global health is one of the most prominent issues in today’s society as seen in the astounding figure of 7.6 million people dying from cancer every year (according to report published by the American Cancer Society). Biotechnology has been used to develop life-saving vaccines, insulin, cancer treatment and other pharmaceuticals to improve quality of life. The research into the use of stem cells is a particularly revolutionary study.
Stem cells are a vital part of medical science. They hold the potential to treat or cure many life threatening diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes etc. They are unspecialised cells that can play two important roles in the human body. They are able to replenish their numbers for long periods of time through cell division and they can divide and differentiate into specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells.
There are three types of stem cells, embryonic stem cells, embryonic germ cells and adult stem cell. Embryonic stem cells are taken from very early stage embryos (four to five day old) in assisted fertility treatments such as IVF. These cells are able to generate any type of cell in the human body. Embryonic germ cells are taken from the later