Stem cells are truly the stem of our existence saying how these microscopic cells have an astronomical job. Ever since we were all embryos, we’ve had stem cells, specifically embryonic and adult stem cells. Many factors tie into the world of stem cells such as what and where they came from, the research done on stem cells, and the legislation along with my personal opinion on the research.
There are two characteristics that separate stem cells from other cells, one is that they are unspecialized and can renew themselves through cell division. The other is the ability to become specialized cells and work as a sort of internal repair system for the body. Adult stem cells are considered undifferentiated in a tissue or organ that can yield to some or all of the major specialized cell types of the tissues or organs. Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos and are made from eggs that have been fertilized. …show more content…
One way to harvest adult stem cells include apheresis,in which stem cells are collected with an apheresis machine from the blood flowing through a catheter inserted into a vein. Another way to harvest adult stem cells is through bone marrow harvest in which bone marrow is drawn out with a large needle. On the other hand, embryonic stem cells are usually harvested from human embryos that are left over from fertility clinics from attempted assisted reproduction, which are later destroyed in order to obtain the stem cells. There are pros for the research that include: the cure for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, strokes, diabetes type 1, birth defects, spinal cord injuries, cancers, a reduced risk of transplantation, and replacing and repairing damaged organs. But along with pros, there are also cons such as: the belief that humans “shouldn’t play God”, the thought that we are a few steps away from cloning, creating the road to making human body parts, and it isn’t proven to be
There are two characteristics that separate stem cells from other cells, one is that they are unspecialized and can renew themselves through cell division. The other is the ability to become specialized cells and work as a sort of internal repair system for the body. Adult stem cells are considered undifferentiated in a tissue or organ that can yield to some or all of the major specialized cell types of the tissues or organs. Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos and are made from eggs that have been fertilized. …show more content…
One way to harvest adult stem cells include apheresis,in which stem cells are collected with an apheresis machine from the blood flowing through a catheter inserted into a vein. Another way to harvest adult stem cells is through bone marrow harvest in which bone marrow is drawn out with a large needle. On the other hand, embryonic stem cells are usually harvested from human embryos that are left over from fertility clinics from attempted assisted reproduction, which are later destroyed in order to obtain the stem cells. There are pros for the research that include: the cure for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, strokes, diabetes type 1, birth defects, spinal cord injuries, cancers, a reduced risk of transplantation, and replacing and repairing damaged organs. But along with pros, there are also cons such as: the belief that humans “shouldn’t play God”, the thought that we are a few steps away from cloning, creating the road to making human body parts, and it isn’t proven to be