What is stem cell research?
Stem cell research is a hot topic in science and the media. Stem cells renew themselves for long periods of time through cell division. When a stem cell divides, it can either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function such as a blood cell, a muscle cell, or a brain cell. Scientists are investigating using cell- based therapies to treat diseases. To find out more about stem cell research, visit the National Institutes of Health website.
Stem cells have been widely publicized over the last decade as being the key to huge health breakthroughs. While only time will tell just how stem cells will be used in the future, millions of people around the world are either involved in stem cell research or closely monitor it for news of advances.
Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.Stem cell research scientists are investigating using cell-based therapies to treat diseases.
Stem cell research is a relatively new technology that takes primitive human cells and develops them into most any of the 220 varieties of cells in the human body, including blood cells and brain cells. Some scientists and researchers have great hope for stem cell research and its ability to uncover treatments and possibly even cures for some of the worst diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Along with these hopeful possibilities, stem cell research engenders fears of human cloning and serious concerns over the ethics of conducting scientific research on, which includes the destruction of, human embryos. Human stem cells primarily come from embryos or adult tissue. Embryonic stem cells can be created solely for the purpose of stem cell research or they can be the leftover embryos from other processes, most likely from in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Fertility treatments usually result in the creation of multiple embr
Stem cell research involves cells that can potentially develop into any kind of cell, tissue, or organ in the body (“totipotent stem cells”) and that may one day soon be able to replace damaged or sick cells in a patient with an injury or degenerative disease. Totipotent stem cells are commonly obtained by using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology. This technique, commonly referred to as cloning, involves the removal of the nucleus of an unfertilized, mature egg and its replacement with a genetically complete nucleus obtained from another adult or fetal organism. Since almost all of the hereditary genetic material of a cell is contained within its nucleus, the entity into which this egg develops is genetically identical to the organism that was the source of the transferred nucleus. What is the Difference Between “Therapeutic Cloning” and “Reproductive Cloning” Therapeutic cloning uses SCNT technology to create cells that develop only until the pre-embryo stage, at which po
