Stem Cell Research
Imagine that you go to your doctor's office for a routine check-up. A few weeks later, he calls you to his office to inform you that you have been diagnosed with a rare, usually fatal type of cancer. As he describes your options for treatment, he tells you that your best hope lies in a therapy that uses stem cells taken from human embryos. This scenario may seem far-fetched to you, but let's examine some facts about stem cell research that you probably didn't know. First, David Grubbs tells us that embryonic stem cells are found in the area of the embryo called the inner cell mass. During the first few days after conception, the fertilized cell divides repeatedly to form a small, hollow ball of cells called a blastocyst. This blastocyst is made up of an outer cell layer and a hollow center known as the inner cell mass. The outer cell layer goes on to form the placenta and other fetal membranes. The inner mass contains the stem cells which go on to form all of the specialized cells and tissues in the
What is more, understanding stem cell growth could help scientists learn to cause the stem cells to grow into specialized body tissues that could be transplanted into the body to replace diseased or missing tissues. Today, we rely on donated organs to replace destroyed tissue. However, the number of people in need of transplants far exceeds the number of organs available for transplant. The generation of a renewable supply of stem cell generated tissues would provide a ready replacement for diseased organs due to Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injury, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis, among others. In conclusion, when you examine the conditions of present day stem cell research, the possibilities that present themselves seem endless. If current research is allowed to continue, scientists may one day be able to drastically improve the quality and duration of life. In addition, according to World and I Magazine, two research groups announced in November 1998 that they had taken stem
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Approximate Word count = 678
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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