Stem cells are a class of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialized cell type(medical news),

Stem cells are also know as unspecialized cells with the ability to differentiate into other cells and the ability to self generate.(CSA)

Stem Cell Type Embryonic Stem Cells Adult Stem Cells Cord Blood Stem Cells

Description

Fetal Stem cells

What they are use for or Specialise into. And potentials. Most Pluripotent of all Can be used to replace stem cells damaged hear muscle, liver and kidney They are tissue specific. Skin, intestine and bone marrow Blood that remains in Used to treat diseases the placenta and is in and conditions of the the attached umbilical blood, to restore the cord after childbirth. blood system after Tissue-Specific treatments for specific cancer. Used to treat genetic disorders Taken from the Fetus. To cure Alzheimer, Most tissues in the Diabetes and paralysis. fetus contain stem cells.

Argument for Stem Cells. The first a argument scientist make is that before the primitive streak is formed when the embryo attaches to the uterus at approximately 14 days after fertilization, a single fertilized egg can split in two to form identical twins , also , rarely ,two separately fertilized eggs can fuse together and develop into a single human individual. Therefore before the primitive streak is formed , an individual human life does not exist at fertilization, as it can go on to split into two separate individuals, therefore an individual human life begins when the primitive is formed-beyond which the cell group cannot split to make twins and not bofre. Therefore the blastocysts destroyed for embryonic stem cells do not have human life and it is ethical to use them.

Another argument is the superiority of embryonic stem cells , Scientist consider embryonic stem cells to be more useful therapeutically than adult stem cells , this usually presents as a counter argument to using adult stem cells as alternative that doesnt involve embryonic destruction. Scientist says: Embryonic stem cells divide more rapidly than adult stem cells , potentially making it easier to generate large number of cells for therapeutic means , in contrast adult stem cell might not divide fast enough to offer immediate treatments DNA abnormalities that are caused by toxins and sunlight may make them poorly suited for treatment Embryonic stem cells have been shown to be effective in treating heart damage in mice. Embryonic stem cells have greater plasticity, allowing them to treat a wider range of diseases.

The Third argument scientist make is that the benefits of stem cell research outweigh the cost in terms of embryonic life. Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to grow indefinitely in a laboratory environment and can differentiate into almost all types of bodily tissue. This makes embryonic stem cells an attractive prospect for cellular therapies to treat a wide range of diseases. The social economic and personal costs of diseases that embryonic stem cells have the potential to treat are far greater than the cost of associated with destruction of embryos. Arguments against Stem cell Research. Proponents of embryonic stem cell research state these reasons: The benefits of stem cell research outweigh the cost in terms of embryonic life. Embryonic stem cells have the capacity to grow indefinitely in a laboratory environment and can differentiate into almost all types of bodily tissue. This makes embryonic stem cells an attractive prospect for cellular therapies to treat a wide range of diseases.

The social, economic and personal costs of the diseases that embryonic stem cells have the potential to treat are far greater than the costs associated with the destruction of embryos. Another reason they give for the use of embryonic stem cells is that if an embryo is going to be destroyed anyway, isn't it more efficient to make practical use of it?

In vitro fertilization (IVF) generates large numbers of unused embryos (e.g. 70,000 in Australia alone). Many of these thousands of IVF embryos are slated for destruction. Using them for scientific research utilizes a resource that would otherwise be wasted.

While the destruction of human embryos is required to establish a stem cell line, no new embryos have to be destroyed to work with existing stem cell lines. It would be wasteful not to continue to make use of these cell lines as a resource.

Abortions are legal in many countries and jurisdictions. A logical argument follows that if these embryos are being destroyed anyway; why not use them for stem cell research or treatments? The third argument for embryonic stem cells is embryonic stem cells can be considered far more useful therapeutically than adult stem cells

This is usually presented as a counter-argument to using adult stem cells as an alternative that doesn't involve embryonic destruction.

Embryonic stem cells make up a significant proportion of a developing embryo, while adult stem cells exist as minor populations within a mature individual (e.g. in every 10,000 cells of the bone marrow, only 10 will be usable stem cells). Thus, embryonic stem cells are likely to be easier to isolate and grow ex vivo than adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells divide more rapidly than adult stem cells, potentially making it easier to generate large numbers of cells for therapeutic means. In contrast, adult stem cell might not divide fast enough to offer immediate treatment.

Embryonic stem cells have greater plasticity, allowing them to treat a wider range of diseases. Adult stem cells from the patient's own body might not be effective in treatment of genetic disorders. Allogeneic embryonic stem cell transplantation (i.e. from a healthy donor) may be more practical in these cases than gene therapy of a patient's own cell. DNA abnormalities found in adult stem cells that are caused by toxins and sunlight may make them poorly suited for treatment. Embryonic stem cells have been shown to be effective in treating heart damage in mice