stem cell

Assignment: Science, Technology and Engineering

Task 6 – Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in an clinic, and then donated for research purposes with the consent of the donors. The are derived are typically four or five days old and are a hollow microscopic ball of cells called the .

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. Serving as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. Large numbers of embryonic stem cells can be relatively easily grown in culture, while adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues and methods for expanding their

A stem cell has been found in adults that can turn into every single tissue in the body. It might turn out to be the most important cell ever discovered. Stem cells are considered a potential magic bullet cure for a host of diseases because they can be transformed into nearly any cell in the body and used to help replace damaged or diseased cells, tissues and organs. However, stem cell research is highly controversial because, until recently viable human, embryos were destroyed in the process of extracting the most flexible stem. Stem Cell Research is due to the discovery due to science and technology developments. Japanese scientists found a way to use induce stem cells without triggering tumours.

Scientists recently bypassed this problem by transforming human skin cells into stem cells. This offered the treatments tailored to the specific genetic code of a patient anything from blood transfusions to transplantable organs grown in a Petri dish without the need for harmful drugs to prevent rejection.

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But the skin cells were regressed using a method which caused tumours and for genetic mutation. Induced stem cells are safe for clinical use. Scientists have now managed to induce stem cells without causing tumours in a way which may not cause as much genetic disruption. Scientists again used a retrovirus to introduce four genes, this time experimenting with mouse liver and stomach ling cells. Mice implanted with these induced stem cells remained tumour free after six months, according to the study published online in Science Express.

And the researchers showed that the retrovirus did not need to burrow into the adult cell genome at specific sites. This could help scientists develop avoid viral integration at sites prone to trigger tumours. Scientists hope that the stem cell research could be made to develop into organs that could replace diseased organs. This will help to reduce the shortage of organs world wide.

Potential for this research to provide treatments and cures for illness that have no cure. There are three major types of human stem cells, named according to how they are obtained: adult, embryonic and germ line. Each of these being used in research and all has the potential treat disease in the future.

Stem cell research has the activity to develop into all of the different types found in an adult, such as skin, blood and nerve cells. These cells are collected from the inner cell mass of an early 5-6 days old embryo, they can no longer become as a whole organism.

Adult stem cells are stem cells found in adults that produce new cells to replace old ones, such as blood, liver and nerve cells. Some adult stem cells can be remover from a patient who is undergoing treatment. Adult stem cells have been used to replace diseased bone marrow in leukaemia.

Non-embryonic stem cells can also be sourced from umbilical cord blood following birth. These cells have properties similar to adult stem cells.

Some critics argue that the extraction of stem cells from embryos is unnecessary because stem cells can be obtained from cord blood. That will produce similar results without destroying the potential life of an embryo. The removal and isolation adult stem cells are at present difficult. It is also not clear how to make them develop into the wide variety of cell types that can be obtained from stem cells.

Stem cell researchers could be made to develop into organs such as kidneys and tissues that could replace diseased organs. This would help to reduce the current worldwide shortage of organs and tissues that are available for transplantation.

Cell therapies for degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s could be developed, using human stem cell researches. Stems might used to develop into neurones and then purified and injected into the brain to regenerate new tissues to replace those that are diseased. There are some limitations that will breed to be overcome before this technology can be used.

First there are obstacles to organ construction using human stem cells. Stem cell-derived organs will be grown outside the human body and will therefore require some type of scaffolding during development. Such scaffolds are presently being developed incorporating human or animal stem cells.

Second, cancers could be an unintended side effect of stem cell therapies. Current cell-sorting technology is not yet efficient enough to do this.

Third, there is a problem of immune rejection if there is a poor math between the cells of the embryo from which stems are derived and the person who will receive them during treatment.

The chief ethical stem cells research is between the alleviation of human suffering that stem cell technologies may provide and the destruction of embryonic life that is involved in their extraction. The destruction of a human embryo is morally equivalent to killing adults.

An ethical issue of stem cells produces effective treatments for human diseases is: who should have access to these treatments? The costs of these treatments could be quite high, at least initially and if they are developed by commercial companies. If this were so, such treatments may only be available to a select few for some time. Even in developed countries. Even if cell replacement treatments can be made affordable, their availability may be limited by embryo supply. Creating banks of stem lines could avoid this problem, but these banks might also be commercialised.

Presently, some countries allow stem cells research on surplus embryos originally intended for fertility treatment. In Australia, embryos cannot be created solely for the purpose of stem cells research. If however in the future, more embryos were required than were available, it may be suggested that stem cells researchers should obtain oocytes (eggs) for embryo production by advertising for and paying healthy donors. This raises the potential exploitation of disadvantaged women who agree to be paid to undergo invasive oocyte extraction.

A potential advantage of using stem cells from an adult is that the patient's own cells could be expanded in culture and then reintroduced into the patient. The use of the patient's own adult stem cells would mean that the cells would not be rejected by the immune system. This represents a significant advantage as immune rejection is a difficult problem that can only be circumvented with immunosuppressive drugs.

There are pluses and minuses associated with the research and all types of stem cells. The ethical issue about the origin of embryonic stem cells will always be a sensitive issue. But there are strict guidelines and legislation regarding the stem cell research. All scientists are aware that they must undertake their work ethically and within the law.

Newcastle University has welcomed a £9.8million investment that will create a regional stem cell research institute that aims to become one of the world’s top 10 stem cell research centers by 2010.

Most people remain excited by the possibilities of embryonic stem cells in treating many diseases. Just how many of these early hopes will be fulfilled only time will tell!