Stem cell
research is seen by many doctors and researchers as a way to treat diseases and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders, strokes, Parkinson’s disease and many others. The reason stem cell research is seen as a way to treat various diseases and illnesses is because stem cells have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body and can divide to replenish other cells.
Instructions
Define Stem Cell Research
1. Familiarize yourself with the two main types of stem cells which are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. There are also three classes of stem cells--totipotent, multipotent, and pluripotent.
2. Embryonic stem cells are cells that can potentially develop into most of the 220 other types of cells within the human body such as blood cells, brain cells, nerve cells and heart cells. Stem cells can be extracted from very young human embryos.
3. Adult stem cells are cells that can be taken from adult tissue. Adult stem cells can only develop into a few of the 220 cells in the human body. These stem cells have a limited quantity and are difficult to harvest. Adult stem cell research has been used to treat several diseases and ailments. In fact, adult stem cells are currently the only type of stem cells that are widely used to treat human diseases.
4. The classes of stem cells are broken down by the National Institute of Health as follows. “The totipotent has total potential and can give rise to all of the different types of cells in the body. Multipotent cells can give rise to a small number of cell types in the body. Pluripotent cells can give rise to any type of cell in the body except those that are needed to develop a fetus. This type of cell is extracted from very young human embryos and can be used by scientist to create stem cell lines in a laboratory.”
5. Many doctors and scientists believe that stem cell research is beneficial in many different areas of health and medical research. By gaining a better understanding of cell development, health and medical ailments can be better understood and treated.
6. Pros and cons to stem cell research can affect how people view it. Pros include the possibility to use stem cells to treat and cure many diseases and illnesses. Cons include some people’s ethical beliefs about the source of the stem cells taken from embryos or fetuses.
Tags: stem cells, stem cells, stem cell, cell research, cells that
