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Sunday, April 15, 2007
Global Stem Cells (edited)
Here's the link to the article: http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=IS06H01
(words in italic are definitions)
“Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro—in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors”
Recently, there have been many news reports on how the embryonic stem cells are the future to curing diseases. These cells are unspecialized cells which has the potential to become any specialized cell in the body. Scientists believe that they are the way to curing previously incurable diseases such as congestive heart failure, blindness, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, cancer etc. A single embryonic cell line can also supply an unlimited amount of stem cells and is easily available from in vitro clinics. These cells have the potential to theoretically cure any disease as they can transform into specialize cells required.
However, there have been many problems to this new area. If the cells are being transplanted to a patient, there is quite a high probability of the body rejecting it. They may form tumors and harm the patient instead of helping to cure them and most importantly, they face ethical issues because through this process, the embryonic also considered as a human life, gets damaged which is also the main reason why many people in the world disapprove of the use of embryonic stem cells.
“An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ, can renew itself, and can differentiate to yield the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ.”
Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells do not have ethical issues. This is because during the process of curing, the cells can be retrieved from the bone marrow and umbilical cord instead of the embryonic and they seem to be as flexible as the embryonic stem cells. Apart from this, another important thing to note is that since the adult stem cells used will be that of the patient’s own, there will be no possibility that the body’s immune system will reject the cells and cause complications. There will also be no possibility of a tumor forming.
On the other hand, adult stem cells are small in number and may not have enough to do a transplant. They may also not live as long as embryonic stem cells. Finally, adult stem cells may not be able to transform into any type of specialized cell as they are already “somewhat specialized” (which by the way, makes inducement less complex).
Adult stem cells have been far too underrated compared to their embryonic stem cells counterparts. An uproar of commotion has been going on about the latter and how it will be the key in unlocking the cure for incurable diseases. However, embryonic stem cell has by far never been successful in curing any of these diseases on human and on the contrary, adult stem cells have. Recent studies have also proposed that the last disadvantage in the previous paragraph of adult stem cells may be overcome as they are found to be transdifferentiated, where they have the ability to change to different types of cells under various conditions.
If adult stem cells are eventually recognized and focused upon in the medical field, then there would be a huge impact on the lives of people with these diseases. Their lives would take a turning point by which people all over the world would have a chance to rid of previously incurable diseases. These people across the globe would have a chance to lead a normal life like the average person. And since adult stem cells can be found anywhere in the body, there would be no lack of adult stem cells.
Be it adult stem cells or embryonic stem cell research, there is a need for these researchers to go global. The researchers of one country will not be able to break through this huge project by themselves as the mere weight of it is simply too heavy. They will have to exchange their findings and results with other researchers all over the world to ensure consistent results if stem cell is to mark its place in the world today and help in curing the sick.
All potential cures would have to go through vigorous tests and experimentations before it can be practiced on humans. Some of these include experimentation on certain types of animals. By going global, tests could be conducted in countries that may produce more accurate results due to the various environments. Apart from this, globalization will also speed up the stem cell research process. By making the whole research international, better or perhaps more advanced technology could be brought in to facilitate the research and bring it into the next stage.
For example, the United Kingdom has already taken its first step in doing so by setting up the UK Stem Cell Bank which stores cell lines (These are specific cell types artificially maintained in the laboratory for scientific purposes) crucial for stem cell research in the event of such needs by the researchers of any country. This ensures that they will have the tools to carry out their research for progress.
We all know the vast potential stem cell has and without globalization, the development of researches could never have been this advanced. Because of globalization, the future is bright for patients with presently incurable illnesses.
Janice Fan
The Environmentalist Expert
Globalised @ 8:46 PM
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