In the words of Obama, "Today, with the executive order I am about to sign, we will bring the change that so many scientists and researchers, doctors and innovators, patients and loved ones have hoped for, and fought for, these past eight years: We will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research," President Obama further said. "We will vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield." [Dan Childs] With this change of stance more and more stem cell lines that were previously banned by the Bush government policy are now open for researchers increasing the scope and hastening the development of life saving stem cell therapy for a variety of chronic conditions.
Umbilical Cord Stem cells
Compared to the controversies surrounding the embryonic stem cell research, umbilical cord stem cells hold no ethical or moral dilemma. Since there is no fetus or embryo involved in the process, and the very fact that the placenta is usually a biological waste, the case for cord stem cell research is very encouraging and without any controversies. Thus far it was believed that stem cells derived from umbilical cord, being very few in number could hardly be used in lieu of bone marrow transplant for adults. However, an interesting characteristic of cord stem cells is that they can proliferate rapidly unlike adult stem cells. Furthermore, immunological rejection is much less severe in the case of cord blood transplantation compared with Peripheral blood stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant. Even in the case of allogenic transplantations, cord blood cells are less likely to trigger immunological complications compared with adult stem cells as they are found to be immunologically downregulated. (Reduced cytokine production) [C a JONES] Further, the risk of acquiring viral and other microbial infections from cord blood transplantation is very minimal compared to adult stem cells.
Cord Blood (Treatment of Cancer)
Patients suffering from Leukemia and other serious forms of cancer have to undergo heavy irradiation, which destroys their bone marrow. Invariably such patients require bone marrow transplant, which is not so easily possible given the dearth of matching donors. Dr. Mary Laughlin, from the University hospitals of Cleveland says, "Out of every 10 adults who needs a stem cell transplant because of cancer or some other disease, only two have a brother or a sister who are perfect donor matches." [ACS] Given this bleak situation the possibility of using umbilical cord blood for grafting assumes great significance. "The other eight must search for donors. Between 3,000 and 5,000 adults die every year in the U.S. because they can't find donors. Now we know that even if you can't find a perfect bone marrow donor, umbilical cord blood can provide a successful graft."[ACS] Further, the potential for acquiring GVHD (Graft vs. Host Disease) by using cord blood is considerably low when compared to bone marrow grafting. Dr. Mary Laughlin and fellow researchers studied 68 transplant patients of whom 66 received mismatched transplant. It was found that the occurrence of GVHD among the subjects was around 38%, a rate that is significantly low compared to the usual rate of 75% observed among matched bone marrow transplants. Also, at the end of 40 months, 19 of the 66 patients managed to survive of which 18 patients were completely cured of their disease. As Dr. Herman Kattlove of the American Cancer Society says, "Survival doesn't seem to be affected by receiving a cord blood graft from an unrelated and mismatched donor. "This can be life-saving for patients who can't find a matching graft." [ACS]
Cord blood (Spinal Cord Injuries)
Spinal injuries are very crippling resulting in patients losing their neurological functions. It has been proved by several animal studies that human umbilical cord blood can be a therapeutically potent intervention for spinal injuries. Dr. Saporta, a researcher from the University of South Florida, who conducted a study on mice found out that "HUCB (human umbilical cord blood) cells have an amazing affinity for going where they are needed and take up residence within the nervous system. Our results indicate that cord blood stem cells may provide a useful and novel treatment option for patients with spinal cord injury, but more studies are needed." [USF] in another study involving 3 groups of mice it was found that the group that received HUCB along with brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)...
Stem Cell Research Should Have More Government Funding The topic argument "Stem cell research government funding." For paper, construct argument defending a claim policy. Remember argument based a claim policy, writer seeks solve a problem establish a problem exists, part argument entail claims fact Stem cell research should have more government funding A stem cell can be defined as type of cell that can be found in many body tissues. Stem cells can
The media might present an issue as fact without verifying its truth via the appropriate channels, while the public in turn is eager to accept as fact what is presented to them, as this is much more simple than researching the issues themselves, or even simply verifying the truth of a stated fact. Furthermore, the authors hold that simply educating the public regarding issues of scientific controversy is far
Stem cell research has generated much media attention in the last decade. Stem cells are a specific type of cell in the human body that can develop in many different types of cell types during the early life growth (NIH, 2010). Stem cells are used today for the treatment of some diseases and scientists are hoping in the future it will be able to cure much more. At this point
S. Law." Stem Cells at the National Academies. 2008. March 27, 2008. http://dels.nas.edu/bls/stemcells/ethics.shtml Thomson, James a., et al. "Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines Derived from Human Somatic Cells." Science Express. Vol. 318. no. 5858, pp. 1917-1920: November 20, 2007. Yamanaka, Shinya, et al. "Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Adult Human Fibroblasts by Defined Factors." Cell. 131: 1-12.. November 30, 2007. March 27, 2008. http://images.cell.com/images/Edimages/Cell/IEPs/3661.pdf What are the potential uses of human stem
Unlike any specific adult cell, embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to form any adult cell, and can proliferate indefinitely in culture (Embryonic pp). Using fourteen blastocysts obtained from donated, surplus embryos produced by in vitro fertilization, James Thomson and a group of University of Wisconsin biologists established five independent stem cell lines in November 1998, the first time human embryonic stem cells had been successfully
Stem Cells Ethics of Stem Cell Research Nothing has stimulated debate and controversy in America like the idea of stem cell research. Stem cells, which are often harvested from human embryos, have demonstrated the potential for a number of scientific and therapeutic purposes, from curing cancer and Alzheimer's disease, to repairing damage to hearts, kidneys, and other organs. Opponents of stem cell research claim that because these cells have the potential to
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