The Issues, Benefits, and Limitation of Stem Cell Therapy.
Stem cell therapy can be used to aid and even cure patients with life-threatening diseases, such as Leukemia and Breast Cancer. The primary way to harvest these cells is through fetus tissue and embryos. This process destroys the embryo, which is why the use of human stem cells is subject to major controversial, ethical, and social debate. While there are some limitations to this therapy; stem cells cave the potential to save thousands of lives.
Stem Cells are pluripotent cells, meaning that they are able to transform into the various types of cells required throughout the body. They exit only in the embryonic stage of human development and a while after birth.
They act as a type of inner restoration in body tissue, as they can multiply endlessly to replace other cells (When the organism is not dead).
When a stem cell multiplies, the new cells can either stay as a stem cell or transform into a different form of cell with specific roles, for example, a muscle cell. (“Stem Cell Basics: Introduction. In Stem Cell Information”)
These stem cells are vital to the body, as they essentially have an unlimited supply, and are the building blocks for the development of a human.
The chief source for these cells is in aborted fetuses and unused embryos.
Stem cells can be manipulated to divide under experimental situations. In 1998, two parties stated they effectively cultured stem cells, and that they develop into different cell types from each of three ‘developmental germ layers.’ (Prenatal embryonic cell layers.)
Experiments using other animal’s tissue had been performed initially, however the pluripotency of human cells was far more advanced. This discovery was a breakthrough, as there were several diseases, such as cancer and Parkinson’s, that could be treated and perhaps cured through the use of human stem cells, and could further the knowledge of human development. However, the finding caused an...