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 isolated and cultured (Embryonic pp). The embryos used in the work were originally produced to treat infertility and were specifically donated to the project with the informed consent of donor couples (Embryonic pp).
Embryonic stem cells are of greatest interest due to their ability to develop into virtually any other cell produced by the human body, thus in theory, "if stem cells can be grown and their development directed in culture, it would be possible to grow cells of medical importance such as bone marrow, neural tissue or muscle (Embryonic pp).
It is likely that the first potential applications of human embryonic stem cell technology will be in the area of drug discovery because the ability to grow pure populations of specific cell types offers a "proving ground" for chemical compounds that could have medical importance (Embryonic pp). This ability to treat certain cell types with chemicals and measure their response offers a short-cut to sorting out chemicals that can be used to treat certain diseases that involve those specific cell types (Embryonic pp). In other words, stem cell technology would allow for the rapid screening of hundreds of thousands of chemicals that today are tested through much more time-consuming processes (Embryonic pp).
Because the earliest stages of human development are difficult or impossible to study, human embryonic stem cells offer insights into developmental events that cannot be studied directly in humans in utero or fully understood through animal models (Embryonic pp). Knowledge of the events that occur during the first stages of development has potential clinical significance for preventing or treating birth defects, infertility...
Protecting the rights of the one and sacrificing the lives of many is a sensitive subject, especially when the sides cannot even agree upon whether or not the one should have rights or not. It would seem that the establishment of researching guidelines that prevents the harming of a subject, for research purposes, has set a precedent, and that this violates right to know laws, as there is no
The prospect of extracting DNA from the patient for combination with embryonic stem cells offers these patients the chance to live normal lives because the organs developed in this manner contain only the patient's own tissues. More importantly, this particular use of stem cell technology would spare the lives of the vast majority of needy organ recipients that die every year before a suitable organ can be found for them
Under the terms of Canada's proposed Assisted Human Reproduction Act outlined in September 22, 2003 issue of Health Law Review, it is not ethically acceptable to create human embryos specifically for research purposes, although "in cases where human embryos are created for reproductive purposes, and subsequently are no longer required for such purposes research involving human embryos may be considered to be ethically acceptable" if they meet certain criteria outlined
Consider the use of genetic modification, for example, to modify genes not for life-saving procedures but for aesthetic changes. Remember that when one alters the DNA of a human being, even for a supposedly benign but necessary fashion, like making a short child taller, this DNA will be passed down to future generations of that child. This calls into question the ownership of the child's DNA. (Bereano, 1995) Modifying a
Designing Babies: Genetic Engineering The rapid development of science and technology has led to an advanced knowledge in the human genome with an increasing ability to change and modify genes to assist people designing babies that suit their wishes in the future. The genetic screening techniques are already being used in some countries where embryos are selected by sex and genes resistance to diseases. The argument in support of genetic engineering
It focuses on the controversy, and provides answers to the question of whether or not stem cell research is providing the benefits in the ways in which the public believes they will soon be benefiting from the research. The authors contend that partisan responses to the public's concerns over stem cell research are delaying the benefits of much needed treatments and cures that can be derived from stem cell research
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