Why is embryonic stem cell research good

Others believe that embryonic stem cell research is pro-life and that it is immoral not to pursue this research, because of its potential to reduce human suffering. Most religious traditions, including Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and some branches of Christianity do not consider embryonic stem cell research to be immoral. Myth Embryonic stem cell research uses embryos that have begun to develop as babies.

Fact Stem cells are derived from blastocysts that have only developed for about five days after fertilization. These early stage embryos consist of about cells and are the size of the period at the end of this sentence. At this stage, the cells are undifferentiated: They have no nervous system, no heart, no limbs and no specialized human tissues. Fact There is no connection between abortion and human embryonic stem cells.

By the time a human embryo has implanted in the uterus, its cells have specialized to the point where they can no longer be used for the derivation of embryonic stem cell lines. The embryos used to derive stem cells are created in dishes in fertility clinics. They are never transferred into the human body and are donated for medical research only when parents decide they are no longer needed for fertility treatment.

Myth Embryos discarded by fertility clinics could be donated to another family rather than discarded or used for research. Fact Snowflake Children is a term used to describe some babies born from leftover IVF clinic embryos donated to other infertility patients.

But the Snowflakes Frozen Embryo Adoption Program claims fewer than births since it began in Meanwhile, thousands of leftover embryos are discarded each year and more than , embryos are currently frozen in fertility clinics; most will eventually be discarded.

Many embryos created for IVF are discarded because they do not develop normally or are known to carry serious genetic abnormalities. Such embryos are not suitable for implantation. But in the laboratory, these defective embryos could help researchers understand genetically linked diseases and develop treatments for them. Myth Stem cell research is unregulated and unrestricted, thus paving the way for scientists to go down a dangerous path. There are additional restrictions being introduced in a Michigan ballot proposal.

For example, under this ballot proposal, embryos could not be bought or sold, could only be generated for the purpose of fertility treatment, and then could only be used for stem cell research if they could no longer be used for fertility treatment and were donated with the informed consent of the donor.

This microscope image x magnification shows an oval cluster of roughly 1, human embryonic stem cells growing together as a colony. Image courtesy of Gary Smith. Skip to content contact us. Stem Cell Research. What is an adult stem cell?

What is an iPS induced pluripotent stem cell? Benefits of Stem Cell Research Why is embryonic stem cell research important? Why do embryonic stem cells hold such promise? What has stem cell research accomplished? How long will it take for human embryonic stem cell research to yield medical treatments?

Embryo and Fetus Definitions What is an embryo in the context of stem cell research? What is a fetus? What happens to leftover embryos created for IVF? Can leftover embryos be donated to other couples? Cloning What is therapeutic cloning? What is reproductive cloning? Is therapeutic cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer necessary in Michigan? Public Opinions Where does public opinion stand on stem cells? However, by , researchers had already started using iPS cells.

Scientists do not derive these stem cells from embryonic stem cells. As a result, this technique does not have the same ethical concerns. With this and other recent advances in stem cell technology, attitudes toward stem cell research are slowly beginning to change. However, other concerns related to using iPS cells still exist.

This includes ensuring that donors of biological material give proper consent to have iPS cells extracted and carefully designing any clinical studies. Researchers also have some concerns that manipulating these cells as part of stem cell therapy could lead to the growth of cancerous tumors. Although scientists need to do much more research before stem cell therapies can become part of regular medical practice, the science around stem cells is developing all the time. Scientists still conduct embryonic stem cell research, but research into iPS cells could help reduce some of the ethical concerns around regenerative medicine.

This could lead to much more personalized treatment for many conditions and the ability to regenerate parts of the human body. Learn more about stem cells, where they come from, and their possible uses here. Stem cell transplants currently treat some cancers and blood and immune disorders. Researchers are also looking into other uses. Learn more here. Bone marrow is a soft, gelatinous tissue inside some bones.

This article covers bone marrow in detail, including what happens if it does not function…. Medicare provides coverage for some approved stem cell therapies. Coverage levels differ depending on which Medicare part of applies. Stem cells are basic cells that can become almost any type of cell in the body. Human stem cells can come from an embryo or an adult human.

They have…. What are stem cells, and why are they important? Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. But no one would consider a skin cell a person, or deem it inviolable. Showing that a blastocyst is a human being, or a person, requires further argument.

Some try to base such an argument on the fact that human beings develop from embryo to fetus to child. Every person was once an embryo, the argument goes, and there is no clear, non-arbitrary line between conception and adulthood that can tell us when personhood begins. Given the lack of such a line, we should regard the blastocyst as a person, as morally equivalent to a fully developed human being.

SCL : What is the flaw in this argument? MS : Consider an analogy: although every oak tree was once an acorn, it does not follow that acorns are oak trees, or that I should treat the loss of an acorn eaten by a squirrel in my front yard as the same kind of loss as the death of an oak tree felled by a storm.

Despite their developmental continuity, acorns and oak trees differ. So do human embryos and human beings, and in the same way.

Just as acorns are potential oaks, human embryos are potential human beings. The distinction between a potential person and an actual one makes a moral difference.

Sentient creatures make claims on us that nonsentient ones do not; beings capable of experience and consciousness make higher claims still. Human life develops by degrees. SCL : Yet there are people who disagree that life develops by degrees, and believe that a blastocyst is a person and, therefore, morally equivalent to a fully developed human being.

MS : Certainly some people hold this belief. But a reason to be skeptical of the notion that blastocysts are persons is to notice that many who invoke it do not embrace its full implications. President Bush is a case in point.

In , he announced a policy that restricted federal funding to already existing stem cell lines, so that no taxpayer funds would encourage or support the destruction of embryos. MS : If harvesting stem cells from a blastocyst were truly on a par with harvesting organs from a baby, then the morally responsible policy would be to ban it, not merely deny it federal funding.

For instance, nerve cells could be generated to test a new drug for a nerve disease. Tests could show whether the new drug had any effect on the cells and whether the cells were harmed. Embryonic stem cells. These stem cells come from embryos that are three to five days old. At this stage, an embryo is called a blastocyst and has about cells.

These are pluripotent ploo-RIP-uh-tunt stem cells, meaning they can divide into more stem cells or can become any type of cell in the body. This versatility allows embryonic stem cells to be used to regenerate or repair diseased tissue and organs.

Adult stem cells. These stem cells are found in small numbers in most adult tissues, such as bone marrow or fat. Compared with embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have a more limited ability to give rise to various cells of the body. Until recently, researchers thought adult stem cells could create only similar types of cells.

For instance, researchers thought that stem cells residing in the bone marrow could give rise only to blood cells. However, emerging evidence suggests that adult stem cells may be able to create various types of cells. For instance, bone marrow stem cells may be able to create bone or heart muscle cells.

This research has led to early-stage clinical trials to test usefulness and safety in people. For example, adult stem cells are currently being tested in people with neurological or heart disease. Adult cells altered to have properties of embryonic stem cells induced pluripotent stem cells. Scientists have successfully transformed regular adult cells into stem cells using genetic reprogramming.

By altering the genes in the adult cells, researchers can reprogram the cells to act similarly to embryonic stem cells. This new technique may allow researchers to use reprogrammed cells instead of embryonic stem cells and prevent immune system rejection of the new stem cells. However, scientists don't yet know whether using altered adult cells will cause adverse effects in humans.

Researchers have been able to take regular connective tissue cells and reprogram them to become functional heart cells. In studies, animals with heart failure that were injected with new heart cells experienced improved heart function and survival time. Perinatal stem cells. Researchers have discovered stem cells in amniotic fluid as well as umbilical cord blood. These stem cells also have the ability to change into specialized cells.

Amniotic fluid fills the sac that surrounds and protects a developing fetus in the uterus. Researchers have identified stem cells in samples of amniotic fluid drawn from pregnant women to test for abnormalities — a procedure called amniocentesis.

Embryonic stem cells are obtained from early-stage embryos — a group of cells that forms when a woman's egg is fertilized with a man's sperm in an in vitro fertilization clinic.

Because human embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos, several questions and issues have been raised about the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. The National Institutes of Health created guidelines for human stem cell research in The guidelines define embryonic stem cells and how they may be used in research, and include recommendations for the donation of embryonic stem cells. Also, the guidelines state embryonic stem cells from embryos created by in vitro fertilization can be used only when the embryo is no longer needed.

The embryos being used in embryonic stem cell research come from eggs that were fertilized at in vitro fertilization clinics but never implanted in a woman's uterus.

The stem cells are donated with informed consent from donors. The stem cells can live and grow in special solutions in test tubes or petri dishes in laboratories. Although research into adult stem cells is promising, adult stem cells may not be as versatile and durable as are embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells may not be able to be manipulated to produce all cell types, which limits how adult stem cells can be used to treat diseases.

Adult stem cells also are more likely to contain abnormalities due to environmental hazards, such as toxins, or from errors acquired by the cells during replication.