Stem Cells Essay

Submitted By Samswingler
Words: 2769
Pages: 12
Open Document
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are the master cells of the human body. They can divide to produce copies of themselves and many other types of cell. They are found in various parts of the human body at every stage of development from embryo to adult. Stem cells taken from embryos that are just a few days old, can turn into any of the 300 different types of cell that make up the adult body.
What types of stem cell exist?
Stem cells can be classified into three broad categories, based on their ability to differentiate. Totipotent stem cells are found only in early embryos. Each cell can form a complete organism (e.g.) identical twins. Pluripotent stem cells exist in the undifferentiated inner cell mass of the blastocyst and can form any of the 200 different cell types found in the body. Multipotent stem cells are derived from foetal tissue, cord blood and adult stem cells. Although their ability to differentiate is more limited than pluripotent stem cells, they already have a track record of success in cell-based therapies. Here is a current list of the sources of stem cells:
Embryonic stem cell. Are harvested from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst seven to ten days after fertilisation.
Foetal stem cells are taken from the germline tissues that will make up the gonads of aborted foetuses.
Umbilical cord stem cells- umbilical cord blood contains stem cells similar to those found in bone marrow which are use to treat haematopoietic disorders.
Placenta derived stem cells. Up to ten times as many stem cells can be harvested from a placenta as from cord blood
Adult stem cells. Many adult tissues contain stem cells that can be isolated mainly from bone marrow.

Why stem cells are important?
Stem cells have two important characteristics that distinguish them from other types of cells. First, they are unspecialised cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division. The second is that under certain physiological or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become cells with special functions such as the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

Ethics
This article tries to shed some light on how stem cells may be able to cure diabetes in the future and why their use is controversial. It aims merely to inform and elucidate some of the controversies surrounding this area of research.
Stem cells are the basis for every type of cell in the body; they possess the ability to develop into any of the body's tissues. The National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research, 1999 states:
"Many kinds of stem cells are found in the body, with some more differentiated, or committed to a particular function than others. In other words when stem cells divide, some of the progeny mature into cells of a specific type (eg. Heart, muscle, blood or brain cells), while others remain stem cells, ready to repair some of the everyday wear and tear undergone by our bodies. These stem cells are capable of continually reproducing themselves and serve to renew tissues throughout an individual's life. .... Although the term stem cell commonly is used to refer to the cells within the adult organism that renew tissue, the most fundamental and extraordinary type of stem cell are found in the early stage embryo. These embryonic stem (ES) cells, unlike the more differentiated adult stem cells or other cell types, retain their totipotency."
Scientists are hoping to discover how to turn these stem cells into specific cells to replace ones that are damaged .i.e. to turn stem cells into insulin-producing cells. As well as potentially curing diabetes, it is hoped that this technique could also treat sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer's and spinal chord injury.
The ethical challenges arise in acquiring the cells for research. The only way to harvest the cells is by destroying the embryo. This raises important moral issues in relation to the
Show More

Related Documents: Stem Cells Essay

Clone: Stem Cells. Stem Essay

According to scientists from New York stem cell foundation laboratory, the first prosperity in using the cloning technique which it was on dolly. Stem cell has a lot of benefits which able to treat diseases, such as diabetes and spinal cord injury by change the old with new one. Some researchers show that SCNT can use to change the genetic material of an egg cell with the DNA from a mature cell like a skin cell. In 1996 the first animal cloned was Dolly. After that, scientists did a lot of researchers…

Words 1156 - Pages 5

Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induce Pluripotent Stem Cell Induction of Pluripotent stem cells is one of the most controversial topics that many Biology scientists want to discover. In the article titled “Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Adult Human Fibroblasts by Defined Factors,” scientists do the research on how to develop the pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells (Takahashi et al. 2007). Induction of Pluripotent Stem cells is the process that reprograms human somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells so that they…

Words 765 - Pages 4

Essay on Stem Cells

Stem cells are special cells that have not decided what they are yet. Stem cells can form any body part, including body parts that normally don't regenerate. If you can control the stem cells and inject them then you can do things like re-grow kidneys or a liver, or make better bone and skin repairs. Or more scientifically put: Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and…

Words 609 - Pages 3

Stem Cell Essay

I have chosen to do my research of news articles on stem cell research, an often controversial, but necessary topic. In my first article, from, The New York Times, titled, “Cloning and Stem Cell Work Earn Nobel,” by Nicholas Wade, I learned that stem cells generated by the induced pluriponent cells (IPS) will enable replacement tissue to be generated from a patient’s own cells for use against a vast variety of degenerative diseases. Though this breakthrough is still in the distant future…

Words 696 - Pages 3

Essay on Stem Cells

The Incredible Cell Stem cell research is relatively new but offers the potential to yield a cure for some of the most tragic diseases of our world. Stem cell research was initiated in the early 1900s. Since then, stem cell research has expanded significantly as researchers search for cures, but it has also generated huge public resistance to using embryonic human cells for research purposes on moral and ethical grounds. In this research paper, stem cells will be explained and an argument…

Words 1595 - Pages 7

Stem Cells Essay

Stem Cells (HowStuffWorks, 1998) Danielle Wark Mrs.Toope SBI 3U1 Friday, May 17, 2014 Stem Cells Are you looking to change the medical World as we know it but something is holding you back? Then you are a lot like stem cells. Our bodies contain many specialized cells that carry out many specialized functions, these cells are called differentiated cells. In contrast to this, a stem cell is undifferentiated where it’s role in our body is not yet determined. Stem cells are undifferentiated…

Words 2814 - Pages 12

Essay on Stem cell

Stem Cell Research Stem cells were originally discovered in 1981, scientists found a way to derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos. Another breakthrough discovery was made in 1998 that took stem cells from human embryos and grew them in a laboratory. Stem cells have the possibility to save hundreds of thousands of lives, scientist work every day experimenting and learning about the affects of heart disease, discovering answers to questions that may save lives, and being able to apply…

Words 742 - Pages 3

Stem Cell Research

Stem cells have the great potential to be very beneficial to scientist in finding treatment for diseases like Parkinson’s Disease (PD). This research has so much potential because they have only just begun working with stem cells. With the great potential that stem cells hold there is still a large barrier between the promise of stem cells and the realization of their use. Looking into human stem cells, scientist are able to come up with new ways to create neurons that produce dopamine from our stems…

Words 886 - Pages 4

Stem Cell Research

Introduction Stem cells are undefined cells with the potential to become any type of specialized cells. Stem cells can be derived from embryos, fetuses, and even adult cells. Stem cells can be used to replace tissue that is damaged, or even destroyed. If used to its full potential stem cells can help to fight the effects of aging. Stem cells draw in a mass of controversy and issues on many fronts both scientific, and moral. Stem cells could eliminate the problems thought to be unsolvable, and better…

Words 580 - Pages 3

Stem Cell Research

Stem Cells are the blank cells that can be inserted into an organism that would ultimately help produce more cells. There are people who believe that Stem cells should be used for medical purposes and those who believe it should not. I believe that Stem cells should be used for medical procedures because it helps make more cells. It also helps cells repair damaged tissue. Not only do I believe that stem cells should be used in Medical purposes but EU as well. ( http://www.stemcellresearchfacts…

Words 670 - Pages 3