Human Stem Cells

Question: Describe the background and basic of human stem cells. Answer: Stem cells are the pluripotent cells that are present in all the living organisms. These cells have the capacity to differentiate in to any kinds of cells like the blood cells, nerve cells, cardiac muscles and pancreatic islet cells. The main use of human stem cells is to treat catastrophic diseases like the Alzheimers, Parkinsons, birth defects, spinal cord issues, stroke, cancer, Type I diabetes, and the damaged organ. Stem cells are obtained basically from three main sites. First is from the embryonic cell that arises from a 3 to 5 day old blastocyst. These require in-vitro fertilization. Second is from the umbilical cord which can be frozen and used later. The third is from the induced pluripotent stem cells. Adult bone marrow can be artificially induced and back programmed to stem cells (Chan et al., 2009). Human stem cell cultivation and origin is addressed to many ethical issues. The first issue is in the source and the process of producing stem cells as they come from embryo. Some belief a human life that is embryo is to be sacrificed for producing a stem cell line (Hansen, 2012). The people who believe life starts after conception oppose the use of blastocyst and aborted fetus in researches. The other controversy is the use of stem cell to create siblings who serve as donors. Umbilical cord preservation and bone marrow implantation is subject to ethical issue. People believe it is irreligious to create embryos and then discard them so as to help the ill sibling. The strengths of Human stem cell is that it has immense medical benefits. The chronic illness can be cured by therapeutic cloning. The sufferers of the chronic illness would be able to live a healthy life. The second point it will cure the diseases that have not yet happened. It would treat the birth defects and improve the quality and survival of new born. The third is it will reverse the aging process the organs may undergo re-generative process and will work perfectly like the new ones. Thus, helping people to live healthy life (Hough et al., 2009). The fourth is it will give a advanced knowledge of human growth. It will help medical science to cure de-generative diseases by getting a better incite of body growth. The weaknesses are that it has high risk and uncertainties (Levens DeCherney, 2008). Nobody knows that after implantation is there 100% chance the sufferer will lead a healthy life. The second disadvantage is playing with god and nature is highly unethical. Human clonin g is a way of going against God as God has only the power to give birth to a new life. All this can have negative effects on the society. It may harm the society and would completely take up the belief of people relating to culture and religion. Religion is the thing that keeps a group of people together. In case, the bond between people is broken than the world will become a selfish place and which will surely harm the present as well as the future generations. The view that stem cell line will cure the medical illness is very effective and efficient in todays era. I am strongly in favor of the development of human stem cell line as today so many people suffer from chronic illness like Cancer, Alzheimers, and Parkinsons helping these people to get a better and healthy life is no way less than doing good deeds. God also advice mankind to do good deeds so saving the life of so many sufferers would surely make God happy. Stem cell line research if carried out in a proper and ethical way would not harm any religion or culture. Umbilical cord is just a thing that has to be thrown after delivery but if it can cure the lives of the family members than why to threw it. It can be easily preserved and help to cure people; and in no way it would be unethical (Streiffer, 2008). The other creating a blastocyst by in-vitro fertilization is fine if it is saving another alive kids life. Blastocyst is just a cell not a human or a baby, life starts after the baby comes in to the world. Thus, creating a cell by in-vitro fertilization wont harm even the mother or father or the sibling instead it would help the grown up sibling to live a happy and healthy life in future. So, it can be seen human stem cell is an effective and efficient technology that would improve the life condition of so many people who suffer from chronic illness and thus is a boon to the society. References Chan, E.M. et al., 2009. Live cell imaging distinguishes bona fide human iPS cells from partially reprogrammed cells. Nat. Biotechnol. 27, 10331037 Hansen, J.E. (2012) Embryonic stem cell production through therapeutic cloning has fewer ethical problems than stem cell harvest from surplus IVF embryos.J. Med. Ethics,28,8688. Hough, S.R., Laslett, A.L., Grimmond, S.B., Kolle, G., Pera, M.F., 2009. A continuum of cell states spans pluripotency and lineage commitment in human embryonic stem cells. PLoS One 4, e7708 Levens, E.D. DeCherney, A.H.(2008). Human oocyte research: the ethics of donation and donor protection. JAMA 300:21742176 Streiffer, R. (2008). Informed consent and federal funding for stem cell research. Hastings Cent Rep 38:4047