Rapp

Annotated Bibliography

Stem Cells: A Promising Future for Animal Testing?

Tyler Rapp

Professor Malcolm Campbell

English 1103

October 26, 2015

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Kang, Kyung-Sun, and James E. Trosko. Stem Cells in Toxicology: Fundamental
Biology and Practical Considerations. Society of Toxicology: S270-S276. Web.
16 Dec. 2010.
This online, peer-reviewed academic article assesses the use of stem cells as a
way to study toxicology (which is often measured in animal subjects). However,
this article takes a different spin on the matter in stating that the hype about stem
cells is being approached at a rapid pace and that scientists need to sit back and
analyze them more thoroughly. The article argues that more research may need to
be done on stem cells before all of their potentials can be fully exercised. Besides
stem cells themselves, the article states that there also needs to be more research
done on human diseases overall in order to apply stem cell research to them. For
example, the article really hammers the idea of stem cells being used for cancer
research. This aspect again reiterates that stem cells should beand probably will
beused for this purpose, but their role may need to be further evaluated before
using them full scale. Also, the authors state that while stem cells will likely
provide a sufficient model for toxic testing, their role is still limited in how certain
chemicals and substances will affect the entire organism, including tissues,
organs, and their many interactions. I find this source to be very reliable for many
reasons. One, the article is peer-reviewed; thus, many scientists have read the
article and approve of its findings. Two, the article is derived from the Society of
Toxicology, which is a huge and well-known scientific organization. Last, the
paper is scientific in nature, which means all of its findings are backed by some
sort of research that has been done in the scientific community. In regards to its

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usefulness to my project, I will likely not use this source in depth. The article was
written in 2010, which is relatively new in most circumstances; but, with science,
a lot can change over the course of five years. With that being said, stem cell
research is being used in these fields a ton (and providing a lot of success).
Nonetheless, it may be beneficial to use this source as a counterargument to
whether or not stem cells provide a quality alternative to animal testing.

Knight, Matthew. Scientist: Stem cells could end animal testing. CNN. CNN, 23 Dec.
2008. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
This popular news source, CNN, relays an article about the possible endingor
lesser use ofanimal testing because of stem cell research. Because of the
heightened uses of stem cells (in creating heart cells and basically any type of
human cell), animals may be less needed, according to British scientists.
Mummery, a Professor of Developmental Biology in the Netherlands, for
example, said that, [Stem cells] may save a lot of time and effort because [certain
drugs] affect animal cells but dont have an effect on human cells. Typically, new
drugs have to go through a whole slew of stages before it is available to the
public. To test for toxicity, rodents and dogs are often used to see the effects
predominantly to see if the drug is harmful or not. Scientists are hoping to change
the use of live animals and instead use solely stem cells in seeing how drugs
behave. The benefits to this are not only that fewer animals are harmed, but also
that stem cells are a direct draw from humans and thus produce better results. A
huge drawback with animal testing is the fact that many animals do not react in
the same fashion that humans do. Nonetheless, the article does briefly mention a

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challenge with moving forward with stem cell research: the controversy. Many
people in the United States put embryonic stem cell research on the same platform
as abortion, according to the article, which results in difficulties with using stem
cells in replace of animals. Overall, I find the information in this article to be
credible. The article makes reference to many legitimate organizations (such as
the National Institutes of Health and Harvard Stem Cell Research), as well as
quotes high-end scientists. Also, the article is produced by CNN, which is a highly
reliable and well-known site. I personally found this article to be useful for my
own research. The article did not go into as much depth as I would have liked, but
it did present a nice overview of how stem cells can help cease animal testing.
Although I may only reference it a couple of times in my essay, it was worth the
read and helped reinforce the notion that stem cells can stop animal testing.

National Institutes of Health Stem Cell Information. National Institutes of Health, 31

Mar. 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
The National Institutes of Health Stem Cell website explores the ins-and-outs of
stem cells. Overall, the site contains many facets that pertain to things from the
scientific side of stem cells all the way to some of the laws regarding stem cell
research. The main information the site possesses, however, is the outline of
Stem Cell Basics found on one particular page. This outline contains the
definition of stem cells: cells that have the remarkable potential to develop into
many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Furthermore,
the page explains the difference between embryonic and adult stem cells.
Accordingly, the site says that embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos

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via in vitro fertilization. (It is also important to note that the site makes it very
clear that embryonic stem cells are not derived from a womans body.) Adult stem
cells are known as stem cells that are found in tissues or organs of a born
person. Moreover, the last vital aspect of the page elaborates upon the potential
qualities stem cells could provide in the medical field. Due to the way the cells
can manipulate themselves, the page suggests that stem cells may have the
capability of treating many conditions (such as heart disease, diabetes, spinal cord
injuries, and more). All of the information found on this site is very reliable. The
National Institutes of Health is a world-renowned organization that is a direct
agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services within
the government. The site is operated by elite scientists and researchers that work
for the National Institutes of Health and do stem cell research. I find this website
extremely useful in conducting my research for the essay. The site does an
excellent job at putting dense and intricate science into more simplistic terms,
which is helpful in understanding the material. I believe I will periodically refer to
this site throughout the essay in order to fully grasp the concepts.

Powell, Alvin. Stem cells, through a religious lens. Harvard University. Harvard
Gazette Mag., 22 Mar. 2007. Web. 19 Oct. 2015.
This online magazine from Harvard University did an article on the religious
views on embryonic stem cell research from the worlds three major religions
(Christianity, Judaism, and Islam). The panelists who represented each religion
were present at the Harvard Divinity School, where the talk took place. The
Christian groupwho identified as more conservative Christiansstated that

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human life is created at the moment of conception (when a sperm and egg come
together). The Jewish side believes that an embryo does not reach human status
until 40 days after conception. Last, the Muslim view stated that human life is
reached when the soul enters the developing baby sometime between 40 days
and 120 days after conception. These views reflect the various religions views
on embryonic stem cell research: which is accepted by the Jewish community
and many Muslim countries, but often opposed by the Roman Catholic Church
and some Protestant denominations of Christianity. An interesting view of human
life was presented by Eric Cohen, the director of the Bioethics and American
Democracy Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
(who represented the Jewish community on the matter). Cohen stated a person
should be defined not as one who has developed consciousness already, but as one
capable of developing consciousness. All in all, I found this article to be
significantly trustworthy. Not only is it published by Harvard University (one of
the most renown universities in the world which also contains a phenomenal stem
cell institute), but the people representing each religion were extremely reliable
and elite individuals. Also, the article possessed many direct quotes from the
representatives. In my project, I will most definitely use this source. A direction I
plan to take my essay is the counterargument of not using stem cells altogether,
which is often supported by many religious organizations. This article touches on
each of the main world religions in a comprehendible, well-detailed manner that
could be easily conveyed in my essay.