Stem Cell Research
Ranked #9,485 in Education, #215,497 overall
The potential, the controversy, the cures
So what exactly are stem cells? And what do scientists think they can do with them?
Contents at a Glance
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are like any other cell - they have a membrane, organelles, and nucleus, which contains the genetic material for the organism the stem cell comes from. However, stem cells are undifferentiated, meaning that they have not yet been programmed to be a specific cell type.
Stem cells lie at the very heart of embryonic development. A fertilized egg begins to divide, creating a cluster of stem cells that will become every cell in the fetus, and eventually the adult organism. They are pluripotent - capable of becoming any cell in the body. These early cells are embryonic stem cells.
Embryonic vs. Adult stem cells
But even in the adult organism, some undifferentiated cells remain in some tissues to aid in repair and renewal - adult stem cells. The difference is that adult stem cells may only be multipotent, that is they can differentiate to cell types of a particular lineage, not every type of cell. Which is what makes embryonic stem cells so important.
For more information on adult stem cells, see the National Institutes of Health stem cell primer.
Embryo development
- An overview of human embryo development step-by-step
- A human embryo forms after fertilization - a human sperm meeting a human egg. Over the course of 8 weeks the zygote becomes a fetus via the embryonic stage.
More information on stem cells
Potential future stem cell treatments
- The potential of stem cells
- Stem cells have the potential to regenerate tissue, heal wounds, and cure disease. Stem cells are important in natural development and occur as...
- NIH - The potential uses of the stem cells and the obstacles to accomplishing them
- Studies of human embryonic stem cells will yield information about the complex events that occur during human development....Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal cell division and differentiation. A more complete understanding of the genetic and molecular controls of these processes may yield information about how such diseases arise and suggest new strategies for therapy.
- Can stem cells cure blindness?
- Age-related macular degeneration may one day be treated by injecting stem cell-derived photoreceptors into the eye, which has been shown to work in mice.
Debate
Should embryonic stem cell research be funded?
Yes!
Jolene_Belmain says:
If it could save someones life without hurting someone else, I agree with it 100%.
RenaissanceWoman2010 says:
I am in favor of stem cell research.
No!
Current status of research stem cell lines
- NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry
- Stem cell lines eligible for federal funding by the US government.
- New Stem Cells Approved in the United States: Forty Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Can Now Receive Federal Funding
- Twenty-seven new embryonic stem cell lines from Harvard have been approved for federally funded use in studying pancreatic development. December 2009
Books on the stem cell controversy
Stem cells in the news
- Second SNU professor accused of fabricating stem cell research
- Seoul National University said Monday that it has launched an investigation into allegations that another of its professors, Kang Kyung-sun at the College of Veterinary Medicine, fabricated parts of a stem cell research paper.
- BHU to set up state-of-the-art centre for stem cell research
- Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is all set to establish a first-of-its-kind Stem Cell Research and Bone Marrow Transplantation Centre of Uttar Pradesh. To be established near the upcoming trauma centre, the state-of-the-art centre will facilitate ...
- Scotland opens stem cell research center and bio-medical incubator
- By Scottish Enterprise EDINBURGH, Scotland, May 29, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Research into conditions such as multiple sclerosis and heart and liver disease will benefit from multi-million dollar stem cell research and life sciences facilities opened ...
- Budget 2012: U-M must report stem cell research and keep tuition steady to ...
- Democratic representatives expressed discontent that UM's share of the performance-based funding is tied to its reporting of stem-cell research and other social issues. For example, state lawmakers are requiring universities to prohibit students from ...
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Comments
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Jolene_Belmain
Dec 8, 2011 @ 2:56 pm | delete
- Fabulous lens, so many people have never heard of stem cell research... great lens :)
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RenaissanceWoman2010
Nov 20, 2011 @ 7:36 pm | delete
- A very interesting article on the potential of stem cell research. I learned a great deal. Thank you for all of the resources. I look forward to doing more exploration.
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drtreatments
Feb 20, 2011 @ 10:29 am | delete
- Thanks for your link to the National Institutes of Health. I will pass it along to my readers as well.
I have a lens on stem cell basics if your viewers would like a companion primer. :)
I've bookmarked, favorited and gave you a thumbs-up. I hope you can offer a review of my lens some time too. ;)
Thanks again and keep up the good work writing research documents for the rest of us to understand!
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