Despite the controversy surrounding stem cell research, the many benefits of stem cell research in the scientific and medical environments outweigh the negatives. Because of this, stem cell research is critical to the continued growth of science and medicine. Therefore, there should be increased funding for stem cell research and less restrictions in order for stem cells to reach their full potential. Stem cells offer people hope by promising to extend the number of patients who could benefit from treatments to combat debilitating diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, spinal cord injury, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. “The first embryonic stem cell-based treatment for acute spinal cord injury has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move into Phase I clinical trials” (“Top Ten Things to Know” par. 10). Stem cell research is quickly evolving as new stem cells are identified and the latest information about stem cells is discovered. So opposing stem cell research would be like taking a big step backwards in the medical field. The problem for most people is where these stem cells come from.
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There are three general types of stem cells, adult, umbilical cord blood, and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in many tissues and embryonic stem cells are usually derived from in vitro fertilization. People worry that this is taking research too far down paths that make them feel uncomfortable. Others think it is utterly immoral and against their religious beliefs. But many
Americans feel equally passionate that stem cell research should be allowed. One critic argues,
“It is a concern to help particularly vulnerable people by making sure that they are included in efforts to preserve life and health” (Kilner 684).
Each day, more is discovered about stem cells and an increase in clinical trails for stem cell therapies are conducted. It is necessary that stem cell research for all types of stem cells not only continues, but also grows and develops as time passes, for stem cell research has the ability to change the future. Each type of stem cells has many potential benefits that are waiting to be discovered and perfected to help people live a better quality of life. The public has become very used to the idea of organ transplants in medicine, to treat a wide range of problems. However, many are also aware of the frequency with which they fail, mostly through immune rejection, and not to mention the organ donors list is quite short. Rather than using whole organs or tissues from a donor, a different approach would be to use the stem cells that are effective in forming those tissues. In fact, this has already been done with bone marrow transplants. The plan is to identify and remove the stem cells from a tissue, multiply them outside in a petri dish and then use them to replace damaged tissue. This has also been done to repair the skin in burn victims, where a small piece of skin can be manipulated into growing to cover a burn. There are several problems as to why it may be difficult to use adult stem cells. First, they can be hard to find and some tissues may not even have them at all. Second, the possibility of finding a donor with a correct tissue match is narrow. Stem cells in the blood are in very low numbers. They are more frequent in bone marrow, but still scarce. However, hope has not been lost using adult stem cells. There has been a lot of recent evidence to suggest that some adult stem cell types may be flexible. In Stem Cells and Its Medical Potential, Chen argues that new research suggests that adult stem cells may have the potential to generate other types of cells (par. 3). “Liver cells may be coaxed to produce insulin, which is normally made by the pancreas,” says Chen. While there are negative views to stem cell research, each can be overcome. Some of the controversy of stem cell research will always be present, no matter the outcomes. However, it is apparent that as stem cell research continues to demonstrate the potential strengths of stem cells,
There are three general types of stem cells, adult, umbilical cord blood, and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are found in many tissues and embryonic stem cells are usually derived from in vitro fertilization. People worry that this is taking research too far down paths that make them feel uncomfortable. Others think it is utterly immoral and against their religious beliefs. But many
Americans feel equally passionate that stem cell research should be allowed. One critic argues,
“It is a concern to help particularly vulnerable people by making sure that they are included in efforts to preserve life and health” (Kilner 684).
Each day, more is discovered about stem cells and an increase in clinical trails for stem cell therapies are conducted. It is necessary that stem cell research for all types of stem cells not only continues, but also grows and develops as time passes, for stem cell research has the ability to change the future. Each type of stem cells has many potential benefits that are waiting to be discovered and perfected to help people live a better quality of life. The public has become very used to the idea of organ transplants in medicine, to treat a wide range of problems. However, many are also aware of the frequency with which they fail, mostly through immune rejection, and not to mention the organ donors list is quite short. Rather than using whole organs or tissues from a donor, a different approach would be to use the stem cells that are effective in forming those tissues. In fact, this has already been done with bone marrow transplants. The plan is to identify and remove the stem cells from a tissue, multiply them outside in a petri dish and then use them to replace damaged tissue. This has also been done to repair the skin in burn victims, where a small piece of skin can be manipulated into growing to cover a burn. There are several problems as to why it may be difficult to use adult stem cells. First, they can be hard to find and some tissues may not even have them at all. Second, the possibility of finding a donor with a correct tissue match is narrow. Stem cells in the blood are in very low numbers. They are more frequent in bone marrow, but still scarce. However, hope has not been lost using adult stem cells. There has been a lot of recent evidence to suggest that some adult stem cell types may be flexible. In Stem Cells and Its Medical Potential, Chen argues that new research suggests that adult stem cells may have the potential to generate other types of cells (par. 3). “Liver cells may be coaxed to produce insulin, which is normally made by the pancreas,” says Chen. While there are negative views to stem cell research, each can be overcome. Some of the controversy of stem cell research will always be present, no matter the outcomes. However, it is apparent that as stem cell research continues to demonstrate the potential strengths of stem cells,