Have you ever come across someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease? What about Parkinson's disease? How about someone terminally ill with liver cancer who is unable to get a transplant? What if a potential breakthrough could solve these problems, but it is surrounded by controversy? One such breakthrough is Stem Cell Research. The primary business issue with Stem Cell Research is whether or not extensive amounts of research time and capital should be invested in this promising, yet controversial technology.
             The controversy arises with the source of stem cells. These cells are found in placental tissue, fat tissue, and umbilical cords. Embryonic Stem Cell Research, (SCR), relies on unused, excess embryos from in-vitro fertilization (IVF). When the researchers extract the stem cells from the embryo, the embryo dies. Moreover, many activists provide that embryonic SCR does not hold any clinical use; therefore, making it a bad research investment for the future. Not only has this medical research become entangled in the obvious abortion debate, but protesting groups say "destroying an embryo to get the stem cells and investing in the worthless research is an unacceptable use of taxpayer dollars" (Berger, 7).
             Stem cell research gears toward the belief that stem cells have the capability of being "chemically inducible to transform themselves into specific end organ tissues" (Clarke, 5). Research using stem cells offers the potential to inform us about the earliest molecular and cellular processes that regulate normal development. The research focuses on the conversion of a single, undifferentiated cell, the fertilized egg, into the different cells comprising the organs and tissues of the human body. Perhaps the biggest advantage is a tool to discover how a cell is able to be both pluripotent and indefinitely self-renewing. The research uncovers new knowledge in the biology of human development that will likely hold great potentia...