The ability to cure any single cell disease, the ability to further research efforts in biology and neuroscience, and the ability to cure paralysis in patients. These feats are achieved because of stem cell therapy, but a limitation exists that stumps further ability for cures. Currently, stem cell therapy only works when exactly one type of cell needs replaced; once more types are added into the mix, stem cell therapy loses its value. Further research into stem cells will grant promise that multi-celled diseases can be cured. Therefore, stem cells should be researched fully, for their potential to cure currently incurable diseases and deformities of today’s time. There is a decently sized split of society’s view on the research ethics
…show more content…
Yet, without a basic understanding of how the human brain works, the ability to stop the stem cells from developing pain-sensing neurons is just not feasible. One of the ethical debates that pop up when discussing stem cells is modifying human DNA to create these Sheefs. Society worries that altering DNA sequences can have unpredictable consequences for future generations. The answer to this is that embryos that have been selected for genetic modification are not allowed to reproduce. This goes off of something called germline modification, which is the modification of germ cells that transmit genetic information from one generation to the next (Foht). The modification of genes entails the termination of the subject, which prevents germline modification. This is normally seen as the morally and ethically correct way to perform these tests, and to conduct further research in this field of study (Foht). Some try to relate this to the debate on abortion, as it calls for the termination of the embryo. Yet, the position that scientists have a moral obligation to terminate the embryo after gene modification goes beyond the justifications offered by abortion advocates …show more content…
These include four stages of a cell's development, the first stage being Totipotent cells; second, Pluripotent cells; third, Multipotent; and finally fourth, which are terminally differentiated cells (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). Totipotent cells, the “master” cells as they are so called, contain all the genetic information needed to develop into all of the cells of the body plus the placenta. This gives the totipotent cells a unique trait; they can be transformed into any cell in the organism’s body. There is a catch; totipotent cells only exist in the first few divisions of a zygote, or a fertilized egg. Each division after develops into increasingly specialized cells (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). The next range of divisions is called Pluripotent cells. These cells tend to be slightly less versatile as the Totipotent, as they cannot develop a placenta, yet the use of these cells are still the same (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). There are currently two known types of Pluripotent cells, iPSC and EPSC. iPSC, induced Pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have been chemically “coaxed” back into the earliest Pluripotent stage of a cell. Extended iPS cells are given the ability to develop a placenta, as they are “extended” past the limitations of Pluripotent cells; this ability allows the development of an embryo (Stem Cell Federal Foundation/Ravven/Fikes). The
Yet, without a basic understanding of how the human brain works, the ability to stop the stem cells from developing pain-sensing neurons is just not feasible. One of the ethical debates that pop up when discussing stem cells is modifying human DNA to create these Sheefs. Society worries that altering DNA sequences can have unpredictable consequences for future generations. The answer to this is that embryos that have been selected for genetic modification are not allowed to reproduce. This goes off of something called germline modification, which is the modification of germ cells that transmit genetic information from one generation to the next (Foht). The modification of genes entails the termination of the subject, which prevents germline modification. This is normally seen as the morally and ethically correct way to perform these tests, and to conduct further research in this field of study (Foht). Some try to relate this to the debate on abortion, as it calls for the termination of the embryo. Yet, the position that scientists have a moral obligation to terminate the embryo after gene modification goes beyond the justifications offered by abortion advocates …show more content…
These include four stages of a cell's development, the first stage being Totipotent cells; second, Pluripotent cells; third, Multipotent; and finally fourth, which are terminally differentiated cells (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). Totipotent cells, the “master” cells as they are so called, contain all the genetic information needed to develop into all of the cells of the body plus the placenta. This gives the totipotent cells a unique trait; they can be transformed into any cell in the organism’s body. There is a catch; totipotent cells only exist in the first few divisions of a zygote, or a fertilized egg. Each division after develops into increasingly specialized cells (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). The next range of divisions is called Pluripotent cells. These cells tend to be slightly less versatile as the Totipotent, as they cannot develop a placenta, yet the use of these cells are still the same (Stem Cell Federal Foundation). There are currently two known types of Pluripotent cells, iPSC and EPSC. iPSC, induced Pluripotent stem cells, are cells that have been chemically “coaxed” back into the earliest Pluripotent stage of a cell. Extended iPS cells are given the ability to develop a placenta, as they are “extended” past the limitations of Pluripotent cells; this ability allows the development of an embryo (Stem Cell Federal Foundation/Ravven/Fikes). The