Stem cell research
Has embryonic stem cell research finally reached its final days? The topic of embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial and complex one from the start. It has pitted religious leaders and members of the scientific community against each other. Religious leaders and those against the research because of the believe it to be wrong because human life is destroyed. Scientist and those who support the research believe that this research holds the key to finding a cure to many of diseases like Parkinson's, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, AIDS, some cancers and even spinal cord regeneration. They believe that since that since the embryos were to be discarded anyways this does not constitute as murder. Yet to answer the question whether this research might have reached its final days we need to look at what exactly embryonic stem cell research is and what are stem cells. Stem cells are undifferentiated or other wise know as "blank" cells they have the potential to become any of the adult cells we have in our body. Scientist are able to determine what they can "mold" the cells into by exposing them to certain conditions and because they can are undifferentiated they are able to grow rapidly and indefinitely in a culture, creatin
Adult Stem Cells Injection of growth protein into brains of Parkinson's rats caused their neural stem cells to grow, migrate to the site of damage, and begin to replace missing nerve cells. Eighty percent (80%) of the rats received a benefit from the treatment, with no tumour formation.ReferenceJ. Fallon et al.; "In vivo induction of massive proliferation, directed migration, and differentiation of neural cells in the adult mammalian brain," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 14686-14691; December 19, 2000 Embryonic Stem Cells Parkinson's rats injected with mouse embryonic stem cells showed a modest benefit for just over 50% of the rats, but one-fifth (20%) of the rats died of brain tumours caused by the embryonic stem cells.ReferenceL.M. Bjorklund et al.; "Embryonic stem cells develop into functional dopaminergic neurons after transplantation in a Parkinson rat model," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USAwww.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.022438099 (PNAS Early Edition) Jan 8, 2002 Adult Stem Cells Scientists "retrained" immune cells to reverse diabetes in mice. The autoimmunity that was previously directed against insulin-secreting cells was reversed, and adult stem cells in the mice formed insulin-secreting cells. The treatment was "...thus able to effect an apparent cure of established Type 1 diabetes in the [diabetic] mouse" (S. Ryu et al.).Pancreatic adult stem cells grown in culture formed insulin-secreting islets. When injected into diabetic mice, the mice survived without further need of insulin injections.Scientists at Harvard Medical School cultured human pancreatic ductal cells under specific conditions, inducing the cells to form islet buds and secrete insulin. "Thus, duct tissue from human pancreas can be expanded in culture and then be directed to differentiate into glucose responsive islet tissue in vitro. This approach may provide a potential new source of pancreatic islet cells for transplantation" ReferencesS. Ryu et al.; "Reversal of established autoimmune diabetes by restoration of endogenous ß cell function," J. Clin. Invest. 108, 63-72; July 2001V.K. Ramiya et al.; "Reversal of insulin-dependent diabetes using islets generated in vitro from pancreatic stem cells," Nature Medicine 6, 278-282, March 2000.S. Bonner-Weir et al.; "In vitro cultivation of human islets from expanded ductal tissue," Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97, 7999-
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Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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