Stem Cell Research

Biology > Biotechnology
Biology > Genetics
Biology > Molecular and Cell

Stem Cell Research

This paper highlights and discusses all of the issues of stem cell research. Potential applications, angles on ethical objections and references to key opinions are made throughout this paper.

1,970 words () | 8 sources | APA | 2002 United Kingdom

Paper Summary:

The following paper examines the isolation of human embryonic stem cells. The author attempts to discover what these cells are and why they are so important. This paper will also take a look at those people that recommend the use of other sources of stem cells for medical reasons.

From the Paper:

"This will potentially revolutionize medicine in the next century" (Smith, 1999)1 . The use of stem cells to develop drugs, study human development and provide a limitless supply of customized cells to replace damaged or diseased tissues, without incidence of adverse host reaction has replaced cloning as the perceived future of medical technology. The "Holy Grail" concept revolves around the knowledge that stem cells have the potential develop into any of the body's two hundred and twenty different types of specialized cells. The therapeutic promise of this is that once a stem cell has been isolated, it may reproduce endlessly in undifferentiated state and then be chemically coaxed to develop into any desired adult cell. Stem cells may eventually be used to produce tissues or entire organs specifically designed for their intended recipient. Cellular repair treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases as well as many forms of paralysis, previously irreversible autoimmune conditions, are the most exciting channel for this field of research. The potential uses of these unrestricted cells could even go as far as the generation of massive amounts of human cells (e.g. heart cells) which could be used to screen dozens of potential drugs and pick out the most promising few, without harm to human or animal life."