The Stemming Potential

Here are some of the unbelievable, 

yet potential uses of stem cells that could soon become a reality.  

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditions

andhealthtopics/stemcells/index.html   ---Link to Article

The Stemming Potential

                                                                                                      Could you ever believe that one microscopic cell could be the cure for things such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and even paralysis?  Stem cells are where it all begins.  They are cells that are not specialized to any type of tissue and hold the potential to create any of the 200 plus types of cells in the adult body.  An article from the New York Times, “Stem Cells” dives into the research, results and controversy of the intensely growing stem cell research.

 

            Stem cells are such a great idea that open up hundreds of doors in the medical field and are a key focus of a lot of research.  The idea behind the use of stem cells is that we could harness their ability to make any cell and specialize it into making the needed cells. 

            Simple organs such as bladders have been successfully made by tissue engineers, but the advances in knowledge of stem cells could help form more complex organs such as the liver or lungs.  This research is happening all around the world as told in the article, “At Wake Forest University in North Carolina, for example, where bladders were developed, researchers are working on kidneys, livers and more,” and also “Labs in China and the Netherlands are among many working on blood vessels.” 

            Most research has been conducted on embryonic stem cells which cause a whole lot of controversy.  Personally, I think this research is revolutionary and should be continued and praised by the scientific community.  As explained in the article, our president “issued an executive order rescinding the limits set by Mr. Bush and making clear that the government supported stem-cell research.”  The research on stem cells is controversial from our different presidents to our different religions.  Any person could ask themselves: Do you believe in stem cell research even if done on embryonic cells?

            The idea of stem cells reminds me of our unit in class on DNA.  Deoxyribonucleic acid contains many genes all coding for a certain protein to be made.  Most cells of our body have certain genes “turned off,” but stem cells have all their genes activated.  This is what allows them to stem off different types of cells for our many different tissue types.  The alterations of DNA in stem cells could be the solution to the making the cells we need for certain treatments.

            Stem cell treatment could help millions of people worldwide.  Growing an organ from a stem cell would eliminate many complications with transplants such as rejection.  I have a friend who has been going to dialysis for years because his body rejects the kidney he needs.  I also have another friend whose body accepted the kidney they received, but now has to be on medication for the rest of his life.  With stem cells both of these problems could be solved because the organ is made from your own cells. 

            With more research and testing I believe stem cells are going to be a crucial step in advancing our medical treatments.