A young girl, at the age of 16, was a victim of a traumatic car crash that deeply damaged her spinal cord and left her paralyzed from the neck down. After being hospitalized for almost a year, her doctors concluded that she would never walk again. A nine month old baby boy was admitted to a hospital and diagnosed with sickle cell disease, and the same night, suffered a stroke on his entire right side. A natural gas leak had been detonated inside of a house after a match had been lit, covering most of the young woman’s body with second and third degree burns.
Each one of these patients found stem cells as their best, or only, alternative to a crippling disability or death. The young girl with the injured spinal cord didn’t except that conclusion and sought out a procedure that could help, finding one that included transferring adult stem cells from the back of her nose to the injury site. Within 6 months, over 70% of the fracture had healed and she regained movement down to her hips, and feeling in her legs. The young boy had bone marrow transplants, where stem cells are …show more content…
Stem cells have only been discovered around 100 years ago, and have already cured over 80 diseases and injuries, including acute and chronic leukemias, arthritis, second- degree burns, and heart disease. It also holds a promising pathway to treat diabetes, cancers, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even blindness. “Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth(Stem Cell Basics).” They are generic cells that are capable of making indefinite copies of other specialized cells in the body. The two main types are embryonic and adult stem cells. They have many traits that no other cell has, which makes it one of the most interesting areas of contemporary biology. However, the rapid new discoveries gives rise to lots of controversy and ignorance to the
Each one of these patients found stem cells as their best, or only, alternative to a crippling disability or death. The young girl with the injured spinal cord didn’t except that conclusion and sought out a procedure that could help, finding one that included transferring adult stem cells from the back of her nose to the injury site. Within 6 months, over 70% of the fracture had healed and she regained movement down to her hips, and feeling in her legs. The young boy had bone marrow transplants, where stem cells are …show more content…
Stem cells have only been discovered around 100 years ago, and have already cured over 80 diseases and injuries, including acute and chronic leukemias, arthritis, second- degree burns, and heart disease. It also holds a promising pathway to treat diabetes, cancers, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and even blindness. “Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth(Stem Cell Basics).” They are generic cells that are capable of making indefinite copies of other specialized cells in the body. The two main types are embryonic and adult stem cells. They have many traits that no other cell has, which makes it one of the most interesting areas of contemporary biology. However, the rapid new discoveries gives rise to lots of controversy and ignorance to the