Stem Cell Research Article Summary

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Holt, Nathalia. "The Case for Fetal-Cell Research." New York Times. 30 Jul. 2015: A.23. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 Oct. 2016.
(1)This article’s author, a respected microbiologist and celebrated author of Cured: The People Who Defeated HIV, intends to dispel the ethical arguments of the opponents of stem cell research. (2)Holt uses her experiences as a stem cell researcher in the University of South California to explain how fetal cells make their way to the labs, tracing their journey from maternal wards and abortion clinics to biotech companies who then ship the placentas and fetuses to research labs. She stresses the legality of this procedure, stating that the mothers donate their aborted fetuses and placentas to stem cell research. Holt then explains the history of using fetal cells to cure diseases, such as the vaccines made from fetal lung cells for Hepatitis A, rubella, chickenpox, and shingles, and the bright possibilities for the
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(2)Scutti first explains the procedure of the trial, which injects human spinal-cord derived neural stem cells into the patient's spinal cord. This procedure was primarily tested on rats with ALS and resulted in increased chances of survival and the slowing of the condition. The researchers excitedly jumped into human trials, and saw no unexpected acceleration of ALS with a small dose. However, when the next human trials were conducted, with a full dose, the results were unsatisfactory, with no effect to the majority of the patients, while two experienced complications. One subject acquired partial paralysis while another endure substantial pain in the region of his back. (3)This article provides an example of the possible disasters that can emerge by using stem cells, as stem cells do not work the same for all

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