The Importance of Studying Stem Cells - Research Paper Example

October 16th Stem Cell Research Stem cells are those biological cells that are found in creatures, which are multi cellular and these can split and separate into a varied number of specialized cell types, which can restore themselves to produce more cells of this type. In multi cellular organism such as mammals, there are two major types of stem cells and these include the following: embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells. In those organisms thatare in their adulthood, the stem cells are mainly used to repair system of their bodies and act to replenish their tissues. However, in an embryo that is developing, stem cells can differentiate into a large number of specialized cells and may maintain the normal output of those organs, which regenerate such as blood and skin. The main difference between stem cells and other cells in the body is the fact that they are able to differentiate into other types of cells or tissues. This ability allows them to replace the cells that have died, moreover, this has been used by scientists to replace those cells that are defective in patients who have diseases and effects that cannot be effectively cured by other forms of medicine (Dresser 181). “Scientists believe that stem cells, from which all other types of cells can grow, will help cure Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, spinal injuries, congestive heart failure and other maladies” (Kelley). The usage of stem cells, especially embryonic stem cells in the cure of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease has come to breed a lot of controversy, and there has been a great deal of support for those who are for it and for those who are against it. There are different types of stem cells andmany different terms have been used to describe them, and these descriptions tend to come from the area of the body or the state of development from which they have come. Among the different stem cell forms are the following: tissue stem cells, fetal stem cells, cord blood stem cells, embryonic stem cells and finally, induced pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, many adult stem cells can substitute cells that die or restore tissues that have been damaged in injuries and such adult tissues as skin and muscle have their own stem cells, and in the bone marrow, blood-forming stem cells help in the production of blood cells. It is yet to be determined whether all organs have stem cells and it can, therefore, be said that the term adult stem cells is used very broadly and may contain other categories of stem cells, which are not necessarily found in adults. There are certain accepted stem cell therapies in the medical field, which require the use of stem cells, which are tissue specific. These tissue stemcells used in these therapies include the bone marrow and cord blood stem cell transplantation, which treat diseases related to blood or the restoration of blood after treatments of such conditions as cancer. In this situation, the tissue stem cells are used to mend the parts of the body from which these cells came. Another adult stem cell type is the mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in a number of tissues, and they are speculated to be able to produce bone, cartilage, and fat (Siegel 215). This has yet to be proven for human beings, but there is ongoing research on animals to determine whether these cells can be used to treat such conditions as bone fractures that do not normally heal. In addition, there is a possibility that these cells or cells that are similar to them play a role in altering the immune system in response to injury. Fetal stem cells are those, whichare taken from the fetus, which is a developing baby that has gone approximately ten weeks into gestation. The majority of the tissues in the fetus include cells that can help in the swift growth and maturity of organs and are extremely much like adult stem cells, which are often tissue specific. The fetus stem cells often produce the cell types that are mature inside the organ from which they were originally obtained from in thebody. Theumbilical cord of a newly born baby is very rich in stem cells, which form blood, and the application of such cells is extremely similar to the one done with the bone marrow of an adult. Cord blood stem cells are currently being used to provide treatments for diseases of the blood and other related conditions especially after the treatment of specific types of cancers. Similar to the stem cells that originate in the bone core and the fetal stem cells, cord blood cells are specific to the tissues where they originated. Embryonic stem cells are those, which are drawn from the early stages of embryos, and there is speculation that they can be used to give rise to all the cell types in the human body. One of the drawbacks of embryonic stem cells is that they carry the risk of transforming into cancerous cells unless they are first directed into a mature cell type. This is done to ensure that they are therapeutically effective and that the risk of the development of various cancers is reduced. Medical field researchers in order to understand diseases better are currently using embryonic stem cells, but no treatments using them are being carried out due to its lack of acceptance. Induced pluripotent stem cells are formed by encouraging specialized cells to act like the genes, which are normally characterized by those in embryonic stem cells and direct stem functions (Kelley). Scientists found out this method in 2006 when they originally found out that they could change the plan of cells with specialized functions to conduct themselves like embryonic stem cells. IPS stem cells share very many characteristics with embryonic stem cells, and the most significant of these is the ability to form the cells of different organs and tissues although these two types of stem cells are not identical an at times behave differently (Kimmelman26). In the case for the development of safe and effective therapies using iPS cells, it is necessary that the techniques used to make them is so well refined that it does not cause a danger to the patient receiving therapy. The study of stem cells will help us a lot in understanding the way they transform into the wide range of cells, which make human beings the way they are. Considering some of the serious medical conditions such as cancer and the other defects people are born with, they result from the effects or problems related to cell transformation and a better understanding of this transformation will help medical professionals to have knowledge of how to correct these mistakes. Stem cell research has the potential of being applied in the making of cells and tissues for the sake of medical therapies. Currently, the norm is for donated organs and tissues to be used to replace those that have been damaged or diseased, but this is often not enough because there are extremely few donated organs compared to the large number of people who need them. IPS cells have the potential of correcting this problem because the use of such cells will help in the development of organs and tissues, which will be able to treat a large number of diseases, conditions, and disabilities, which include among others arthritis, spinal cord injury, and diabetes. There are many advantages and an enormous potential in stem cell research, whichhave been put forward by the leading researchers in that field. One of these is that fact that this research provides the medical benefits that come out of the areas of therapeutic cloning and regenerative cloning. This research also provides the potential of discovering the treatments and cures to a large number of diseases, which include Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia among many others (Streiffer 40). There is the potential of people’s severed limbs being grown in laboratories and being transplanted onto them or being used to develop treatment for other conditions they may have. In addition, stem cell research will also help people learn more about the growth and cell development that occur in human beings, something that was until recently, a great mystery. It will enable the testing of numerous potential drugs and medicines without the need to use any animal or human testers and this will be very beneficial because it will help in the development of drugs whose every effect has been fully tested. This testing will necessitate a process in which the effect of the drug will be simulated on a specific population of cells, and this will help to tell if the drug has any problems. Furthermore, stem cell research will also facilitate the study of the human development stages, whichcannot be directly studied in a human embryo because of the link of such stages to such things as birth defects and pregnancy loss. A complete perspective of the human development will help in the hindrance of or treatment of abnormalities in the maturity of human beings. Stem cell research holds the key to the reversal of the aging process and in the prolonging of human life, thishas been proven by the discovery of treatments that are helpful in the slowing of the aging process, and it is likely that aging will be entirely stopped if further research is done. A major advantage of using adult stem cells to treat a disease that one has is that it is only person’s own cells will be used to treat him. This reduces the risk of one’s body rejecting these cells because they are his own,moreover, Embryonic stem cells have the potential of developing into any type of body cells, and they may even be found to be more useful than the adult stem cells. Since the inception of stem cell research, there have been arguments regarding it and the way in which it is supposed to be handled, among these arguments, there has been that concerning the usage of knowledge concerning this research. Moreover, it has been said that stem cell research can help in the treatment of a wide range of medical problems and that it could lead humanity to get closer to the better treatment and cure of many diseases. These ailments include Alzheimer’s disease, heart diseases, birth blemishes, among many other ailments and conditions. Furthermore, this research would help a great deal in the replacement and repair of damaged organs, reduce the risk of transplants so that the body will not reject the new organ, and finally, it is possible that it will play a large role in finding a cure for cancer. The development of treatment and cures through this research will provide both social and economic benefits because of the great reduction in healthcare costs for the diseases that will be able to be cured. There have also been arguments against the usage of the knowledge of stem cell research, and one of these is that researchers will be playing with human life especially when extracting embryonic stem cells fromembryos, whichare said to be human beings. Moreover, there are arguments that human beings should not attempt to play God by attempting to manipulate stem cells to create cures for diseases because these diseases have been put there for a reason. Some have argued that stem cell study in the future has the potential of leading to information in the development of human clones. They say that this could have devastating effects even if it is done with admirable intentions, just as happened with the development of nuclear research. There had also been arguments concerning the methods, which are involved in stem cell research, and these arguments were much tenser when researchers used embryonic stem cells as their main method of research. One of the arguments for the methods being used is that, many benefits can come from stem cell research that the outcome of these researches outweighs the ethical issues involved. “Since this medical research occurred in the past, on a time-limited basis, some traditional moral complicity theorists conclude that conscientious parents can have their children vaccinated without materially contributing to the practice of elective abortion” (Brown 4). Furthermore, it has been stated that since pregnant women were going to have abortions, it would be best that the fetuses be used in stem cell research because they would then be more useful. Another argument for the methods being used is the fact that adult stem cells are not that attractive for study because they do not have the material that stem cells from fetuses have. The method of research would also bring more knowledge concerning the basics concerning the human body. Before 2007, the critics of stem cell research argued there was no justification for the use of aborted fetuses due to the ethical issues involved in their work. Moreover, the critics further argued that life began as a fertilized egg and that whatever was done to an embryo was a violation of that life and that it was unethical of researchers to do so (Okie1). Arguments against stem cell research have stated that the scientific value of this research is exaggerated because it is not known for sure whether transplantable organs can be cloned using stem cells or not. Since the beginning of the stem cell research, there has been a great political and social debate about it with some stating that it should not receive any federal funding and others going in the opposite direction by stating that it should receive even more funding (Cohen and Majumder 79). The social debate on the matter is based on the ethical issues involved and at the forefront of the debate against it, has been the Church with its pro-life stance where, “…catholic teaching does not permit any destruction of human embryos” (Prieur 73). It has been stated that since life begins at conception, then it is ethically wrong to use fetuses and embryos in stem cell research because of the fact that it would be a violation of the life of a human being. The political debate has tended to be based on the mood of voters and most of the political stances taken have always been based on this. However, the heat of the debate on stem cell research has gone down since new regulations were put in place by the government concerning the methods, which could be used when undertaking this research (Cogle 993). In conclusion, it can be said that stem cell research should be given the full support of not only the government but also the public because it is the only way through, which such serious conditions as Parkinson’s disease can be cured in the near future. Stem cell research is the doorway through which we can learn more about the human body and how to protect it against those conditions and diseases which may be harmful to it. Furthermore, stem cell research will lead to a cure of many diseases, and this will result in the reduction largely of the healthcare expenses being currently experienced by the public. Stem cell research is the way into the future of the human race and any attempts to stop it should be totally abandoned because it would be the same as standing in the way of human progress. Works Cited Brown, Mark T. "Moral Complicity in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research." Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal 19.1 (2009): 1-22. Cogle, Christopher R., et al. "An Overview of Stem Cell Research and Regulatory Issues." Mayo Clinic proceedings 78.8 (2003): 993-1003. Cohen, Cynthia B. &Majumder, Mary A. "Future Directions for Oversight of Stem Cell Research in the United States."Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal 19.1 (2009): 79-200. Dresser, Rebecca. "Stem Cell Research: The Bigger Picture." Perspectives in biology and medicine 48.2 (2005): 181-94. Kelley, Tina. "In Race Toward First Stem Cell Research Institute, New Jersey Stalls." The New York Times.2005. Web. 16 October 2012. Kimmelman, Jonathan, et al. "Stem Cell Trials: Lessons from Gene Transfer Research." The Hastings Center report 36.1 (2006): 23-6. Okie, Susan. "Stem-Cell Research - Signposts and Roadblocks."The New England journal of medicine 353.1 (2005): 1-5. Prieur, Michael R., et al. "Stem Cell Research in a Catholic Institution: Yes Or no?" Kennedy Institute of Ethics journal 16.1 (2006): 73-98. Siegel, Andrew W. "Temporal Restrictions and the Impasse on Human Embryonic Stem-Cell Research." The Lancet 364.9429 (2004): 215-8. Streiffer, Robert. "Informed Consent and Federal Funding For Stem Cell Research."The Hastings Center report 38.3 (2008): 40-7. Read More