Question

What are stem cells and what do you think about the ethics of stem cell research? What do you think are some potential benefits or problems resulting from this research and development?

Answer 1

STEM CELLS

A stem cell is a cell with the unique ability to develop into specialised cell types in the body. In the future they may be used to replace cells and tissues that have been damaged or lost due to disease.

There are different types of stem cells-

1. Embryonic stem cells
2. Adult stem cells
3. Induce pluripotent stem cells

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS are the cells which supply new cells for a embryo as to grow and develop into a baby. These cells can change into any cell in the body.

ADULT STEM CELL- these cells supply new cells as an organism grows and to replace cells that get damaged. These cells are multipotent in nature.

INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS- also called as “iPS” cells, these are the cells which scientists make in the laboratory. Induced means that that they are made in the lab by taking normal adult cells like skin or blood cells and reprogramming them to become stem cells. These cells can develop into any cell aswell.

ETHICAL ISSUES-

The key ethical issues concern the destruction of human embryos for stem cell derivation. On the grounds that the human embryo is a human life with moral value justifying its protection, the extraction of embryonic stem cells is unethical.

There are two sides to this ethical issue, one side argues that the destruction of human embryos for stem cell derivation is acceptable as at the point of extraction, the embryo is a blastocyst and opponents raising ethical issues are shut down by the fact that almost 400,000 excess embryos are in the freezers in the various fertility centres aswell which are left to die, If stem cell extraction is an ethical issue then the blastocyst in the freezers also need ethical rules and regulations.

USES AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF STEM CELLS

Human stem cells are currently being used to test new drugs. New medications are tested for safety on differentiated cells generated from human pluripotent cell lines. Other kinds of cell lines have a long history of being used in this way. Cancer cell lines, for example, are used to screen potential anti-tumor drugs. The availability of pluripotent stem cells would allow drug testing in a wider range of cell types.

The research is going on to treat diabetes, Parkinson’s disease etc with the help of stem cells.

Challenges in stem cell research

Stem cells require much more study before their use can be expanded. Scientists must first learn more about how embryonic stem cells develop so that they can understand how to control the type of cells created from them. Another challenge is that the embryonic stem cells available today have a high likelihood of being rejected by the body. Finally, some people find it morally troubling to use stem cells derived from embryos.

Scientists also face challenges with the use of adult pluripotent stem cells. These cells are difficult to grow in a laboratory, so researchers are investigating ways to improve the process. These cells are also found in relatively tiny quantities in the body, and there is a greater chance that they could contain DNA abnormalities.