Stem Cell Research - 825 Words

Stem Cell Research (Research Paper Sample) Content: Stem Cell Research Name Course Date Stem Cell Research Stem cells are the basic building blocks from which the cells of every tissue in the body grow. Because of their unique ability to develop into different types of tissue, they can potentially be used to grow new cells to replace those destroyed or damaged by age, disease or the side effects of treatment for diseases such as cancer.Stem cells can be categorized into adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells are immature cells that divide and then replace dying or damaged cells in body tissues. They are also called somatic stem cells. When the egg and sperm combine, they form a single cell that divides into two cells each of which divides to form a cluster of four cells. This ball of cells is called a blastocyst. The cells in the inner layer of the blastocyst are embryonic stem cells. There are many diseases today for which medical science has no cure. Research into stem cells may off er an answer. Scientists engage in stem cell research, to investigate the basic cells that lead to the development of organisms. The fundamental properties of these cells are investigated in laboratories where these cells are grown. More ethical researches have been advanced in the study of stem cells. One such study is known as Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells or iPS. The iPS can be successfully extracted from adult stem cells. Research on stem cells has nearly unlimited potential for good ends. Various diseases that affect millions worldwide have as their case the disadvantages of cell growth or cell death. Therefore, understanding how cells grow, how they are genetically regulated, and how they develop both normally and abnormally will be key, to therapy. It is this vision of future therapies and this attention of human suffering that ought to lie at the core of the medical endeavor. A correlative research end will be met by research on embryonic development. Stem cell cultures will allow an ability to test toxicity that is pharmaceuticals in early embryos and in human tissues, a task that is dubious in animal models and ethically acceptable in human pregnancies. Stem cell research is of itself a good end since it allows study of the process of genetic diseases at the cellular level, using the full power of recent genomic advances in understanding causality. Many diseases that affect millions worldwide would not only be treated but also cured by the use of tissue transplants. Cardiac diseases, cardiovascular diseases, degeneration, trauma to the spinal, or central nervous system are oblivious first to receive interest. That such tissue transplants have shown promise in early testing in animal models drives this argument into trusting the process in humans. Stem cell research is very much like many other researches on embryos that are already being conducted in medical centers and universities all over the world. Such researches include IVF research in wh ich many eggs are tested, injected with sperm, given growth factors to stimulate growth, and used as tools in teaching physicians their craft as infertility specialists. In many religions, and in secular medicine’s premise, there is a duty to heal. Obligations are correlative to rights. Here, the limited moral status of the in vitro blastocyst determines duties to it, and the relatively greater duties to the ill and vulnerable may be primary ones. Therefore, it is the duty of all medical stakeholders to heal and turning from the possibility of healing would be an abrogation of an essential duty. Benefits of stem cell research are that substantial that they override all the issues that are raised against the methods. All together, stem cell researches give outstanding knowledge on cells and thus human body. References Moore, Pete. Stem Cell Research. New York: Rosen Central, 2012. Devaney, S. Achieving consensus on international ethical oversight of stem cell research. Asian Journal of WTO & International Health Law and Polic...