Benefits Of Embryonic Stem Cell Research

bstract: Embryonic stem cell research involves the destruction of an embryo after stem cells are extracted. The ethical considerations of destroying an embryo results in a controversy where proponents of the research are pitted against pro life supporters who see the destruction of the embryo as immoral. This paper addresses the objections to embryonic stem cell research, similar to those against abortion, which are rooted in the belief that it is morally impermissible to intentionally take the life of an innocent human being. The counterargument is presented such that the utilization of embryonic stem cells in research does not represent the death of a human being; instead it provides valuable life preserving medical breakthroughs, and thus
There are two primary types of stem cells. One type, embryonic, uses the cells from an early human embryo to create new, specialized types of cells. Embryonic stem cells are used for cell based therapies because they can develop into over 220 cell types found in adult, they have the capacity to reproduce in large numbers. They are capable of almost unlimited cell divisions when placed in culture. This makes them extremely versatile. Using stem cells to gain knowledge of how these cells differentiate, grow, and renew will provide breakthrough results in the study and cure of cancers, diabetes, birth defects, spinal cord injuries, and other diseases caused by dysfunctional cell replication. Embryonic stem cell research can improve drug safety, as a drug can be tested on a group of stem cells before being used on a patient. The embryonic stem cells are extracted from the inner cell mass during the early phase of blastocyst during embryonic development. After an egg is fertilized, generally during in vitro in a laboratory setting, it starts dividing. The blastocyst is a hollow ball of about 150 cells. The inner cell mass are the cells located in the inner part of the ball, once extracted, the embryo is no longer viable or living . Hence, the arising controversy surrounding the destruction of the
Adult stem cells can develop into the same type of cell from which they were taken. For example, and adult stem cell extracted from bone marrow, could potentially grow into new bone marrow. This is characterized as multipotent. However an embryonic stem cells can possibly develop into any new type of cell, such as cardiac, lung, muscle and nerve cells. This ability is categorized as pluripotent. The potential to treat a large number of diseases with adult stem cells is much lower than with embryonic, because adult stem cells are not able to differentiate into as many types of cells as can embryonic stem cells. An advantage to using adult stem cells is that a patient's own cells are transplanted back into the patient, which intern eliminates the possibility of rejecting the cells and does not require a need for immune suppressing drugs to counter the rejection of the new cells. However adult stem cells have a greater chance of having already developed genetic abnormalities over time, limiting their potential use in medical therapies. With the use of embryonic stem cells, strong immune suppressing drugs may be required to fight of the rejection of the new cells placed into the body. Not only do the two primary stem cells differ in their ability to develop into complete organisms, but they also differ in their