Stem Cell Research. Types of stem cells
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Stem Cell Research
Stem cell research involves the examination and analysis of the fundamental cells that constitute organisms. It involves the growing of the cells in the laboratories where the essential components of the cells are analyzed and subject to numerous tests.
Types of stem cells
A number of researchers believe that stem cells can be used in the development of cures for several diseases that are known to man such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and strokes among others. There are three types of stem cells:
Embryonic Stem Cells are the cells that can be manipulated to facilitate the development of each of the 220 cells present in human beings. They have been acquired from blastocysts (3-5 days old) in a process that resulted to the deaths of the respective embryos. Research has however yielded techniques that have developed cells similar to embryonic stem cells.
Adult Stem Cells are in a way similar to the embryonic stem cells. However the adult stem cells cannot be used to develop the 220 cells found in human beings. They can be derived from the umbilical cords of newborns e.g. umbilical cord stem cells
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells constitute ordinary cells that have been treated specially to portray a number of properties unique to embryonic stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells are seen to generate minimal rejection and ethical concerns while offering the benefits of the embryonic stem cells. They are derived from skin cells.
The moral status of a human embryo
I believe that human life begins at conception. The process of acquiring the embryonic stem cells that consequently results to the death of the embryos should also be viewed as homicide. Other approaches such as the cell technology should be encouraged to stop the deriving of the stem cells from the embryos. Embryos are a form of human life and if given a chance, they are likely to become a person. Scientist and researchers however argue that the embryo is constitute of cells that have not yet been differentiated in a sac and that subsequent to the extraction of the stem cells, the sac is done away with hence facilitating the division and the growth in numbers of the respective stem cells which contain the DNA of humans and are the only valuable components of the embryos keep on multiplying and essentially no killing has occurred.
The medical benefits of stem cell research
According to a number of scientists and researchers there are a number of benefits that the stem cells research offers to the field of medicine. Some of the potential benefits include:
The acquiring of stem cells from the embryos facilitates more comprehension of the cells as it allows for the analysis of individual cells and can possibly address birth defects and their causes and look into the numerous genetic diseases.
Stem cell research can also be used to screen drugs and their consequent results to humans prior to them being administered to human beings.
Stem cell research will facilitate the development of specialized cells that can grow to become organs which can serve as replacements for the patients with damaged or compromised organs essentially serving as medical therapies.
The numerous articles and journals that attempt to endorse stem cell research do not offer much. Nearly all of them fail to address the concerns with regard to embryos not being humans. For such concerns to be addressed there is need for numerous debates regarding when life begins as this remains the ultimate concern.
