Stem cell - Research Paper Example

Adult stem cells or somatic stem cells are “multipotent” cells that function as an internal repair system lifelong in some organs such as the gut and bone marrow, to replenish damaged cells (Pessina and Gribaldo, 2006). The characteristic ability of the stem cells to renew themselves continuously for long periods and differentiate into specific cell types under appropriate conditions (Zhong, 2008) make them good candidates for cell-based therapies in regenerative or reparative medicine. Customarily, although inappropriately, the term “stem-cell research” is used in news reports and political debates to discuss all scientific research involving stem cells.

There is no controversy about research involving adult stem cells that are obtained from bone marrow, or the umbilical-cord stem cells taken from the residual blood found in the umbilical cord after delivery of the baby, or the stem cells present in the amniotic fluid. However, it is the research on and application of ESCs for clinical use that has led to a raging controversy both on the basis of religious beliefs and for political brownie points. Scientifically, too, ESC therapy is not all hunky-dory.

For instance, it has not been possible yet to consistently control the growth of ESCs. Also, the interactions of ESCs with other cells have been known to cause erratic growth patterns, including tumors, and tissue rejection responses (Repair Stem Cells Institute, 2009). The Catholic Church has supported adult and umbilical-cord stem-cell research but is vehemently opposed to embryonic stem cells being used for research based on religious beliefs. The main reasons for the opposition of the Catholic Church to ESC research as described by The Pontifical Academy for Life (2000) are (1) The only way in which ESCs can be isolated at present involves the destruction of an unimplanted blastocyst-stage embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development.

The isolation of the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst for the preparation of embryonic stem cells is tantamount to destruction of the embryo; hence, the Church considers that a gravely immoral, and consequently, a gravely illicit act; (2) producing cloned human embryos and then destroying them in order to harvest ESCs is considered illicit; and (3) the use of embryonic stem-cell lines that already exist for research is also equal to destruction of innocent human life and, hence, immoral.

Although the highly dramatized versions appearing in news reports of the possibility of growing whole organs from stem cells in petri dishes sounds amazing, it is more science fiction than reality. However, from a cell and developmental biology standpoint, ESC research is highly important. Scientists working on the application of stem cells to the medical field have been greatly worried, though, since stem cell research has suffered great harm on account of lack of accessible or quality stem cell lines.

Following the ban by the U.S. federal government of embryonic stem cell research in August 2001, only those stem cell lines that came into existence before August 9, 2001 remained unconstrained by the ban. However, those cell lines have become possibly