Project: Stem Cell Research
What are Stem Cells and what are the aims of Stem Cell research?Stem cells are un-programmed cells in the human body that can be described as "shape shifters." These cells have the ability to change into other types of cells. Stem cells are at the center of a new field of science called regenerative medicine. Because stem cells can become bone, muscle, cartilage and other specialized types of cells, they have the potential to treat many diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and cancer. Eventually, they may also be used to regenerate organs, reducing the need for organ transplants and related surgeries. "Stem cells are like little kids who, when they grow up, can enter a variety of professions," Dr. Marc Hedrick of the UCLA School of Medicine says. "A child might become a fireman, a doctor or a plumber, depending on the influences in their life -- or environment. In the same way, these stem cells can become many tissues by making certain changes in their environment." In the mid 1800s, scientists began to recognize that cells were the basic building blocks of life, and that cells gave rise to other cells. In the early 1900s, European scientists realized that all blood cells came
Currently, the best source for stem cells is a human embryo. In addition, the knowledge gained about how cells work in health and disease will be invaluable. If it can, in time, save lives, cure diseases, and help to regenerate damaged organs then so be it. Others disapprove and say it's the unnecessary sacrificing of a life. " While "bone marrow transplants"-actually a transplant of stem cells-are currently used for a wide variety of diseases, and fetal nerve cells have been transplanted experimentally into the brains of people with Parkinson's disease for the past ten years, it wasn't until very recently that sources of cells that might be used to regenerate other organs became available. In 1999 and 2000, researchers began to find that manipulation of adult mouse tissues could sometimes yield previously unsuspected cell types; for example, that some bone marrow cells could be turned into nerve or liver cells and that stem cells found in the brain appear to be able to form other kinds of cells. In June, Australian federal and state health ministers agreed to draw up laws banning cloning nationwide, but they could not reach consensus on the issue of stem cell research. What's My Opinion?Embryonic stem-cell research is under debate in Washington, and people in Holland mirror the national split of opinion. In 1998, researchers at the University of Wisconsin led by James Thomson isolated and grew stem cells from human embryos, and researchers from Johns Hopkins University led by John Gearhart did the same for human germ cells. Using animal models, scientists have coaxed stem cells into becoming nerve cells, other stem cells into becoming the myelin sheaths that surround the nerves, and nerve cells into becoming muscle cells. But whether it happens tomorrow, next week, or during the next decade, it will happen. Some believe it's a promising avenue to curing diseases. But using human material, such as aborted fetuses, in research is a controversial issue because it can be construed as the sacrifice of human life for scientific progress. Since most of the research to date has been on mice, with short life spans, there's not enough evidence about what long-term side effects of embryonic stem cell therapies may be.
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Acceptance Essays
