Potential benefits of stem cell research are numerous and range from development and testing of new drugs to cell-based therapies in which stem cells are used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue or cells.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of stem cell research?
Advantages: Placental and umbilical cord stem cells offer pluripotency, world wide availability, lack of contamination, ease of isolation and maintenance, lack of immune rejection by the host, and they are ethically and politically noncontroversial. Disadvantages: None. Risks: None. (3) Adult stem cells.
What are the positive effects of stem cell research?
- Limitations on ASC ability to differentiate are still uncertain; currently thought to be multi or unipotent.
- Cannot be grown for long periods of time in culture
- Usually a very small number in each tissue making them difficult to find and purify
- Currently there is no technology available to generate large quantities of stem cells in culture
What's so bad about stem cell research?
The main ethical objections are to human embryonic stem cell research, because early-stage human embryos are destroyed during the process of deriving their stem cells.
What are some cons of stem cell research?
Cons of Stem Cell Research 1. Costly. Stem cell research is a very advance and complicated procedure and thus results to be very costly. Because of that, researchers are heavily dependent upon funding from several external sources for conducting the research. However, almost every researchers and scientist think it to be worth the cost. 2.
What are the economic benefits of stem cell research?
What are the economic implications of stem cell research? Stem cell research has the potential to treat diseases that are currently burdened with high health care costs—especially chronic conditions such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease or diabetes, the costs of which threaten to cripple the healthcare system.
What are the beneficial effects of stem cells?
While stem cell treatments provide fast recovery, it also increases the functionality, range of motion and flexibility of the joint, muscle or part of the body that was damaged. One of the amazing benefits of stem cell treatments is to help patients restore their injured body part to the way it was prior to the injury.
What are 3 benefits of stem cell studies?
Benefits of Stem Cell TherapyTreatment of Cardiovascular Diseases. ... Helps heal incisions and wounds. ... Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases.Autoimmune Diseases. ... Orthopedic Conditions.
How would stem cell research impact society and the environment?
Stem Cells Help Researchers Study the Effects of Pollutions on Human Health. A recent study published in the Journal of Environmental Sciences (JES) shows that embryonic stem cells could serve as a model to evaluate the physiological effects of environmental pollutants efficiently and cost-effectively.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using stem cells for research?
Stem cells have great potential, in treating patients with currently untreatable conditions, growing organs for transplants and research. But there are clinical, ethical and social issues with their use. These issues will be different for growth and transplant of adult , embryonic and therapeutically-cloned stem cells.
What are the benefits of stem cell research quizlet?
What are some possible benefits and issues associated with stem cells research? Stem cells offer the potential benefit of using undifferentiated cells to repair or replace badly damaged cells and tissues.
What are the social issues with stem cell research?
However, human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is ethically and politically controversial because it involves the destruction of human embryos. In the United States, the question of when human life begins has been highly controversial and closely linked to debates over abortion.
What is the importance of stem cells in medical science?
Why are stem cells important? Stem cells represent an exciting area of medicine due to their potential to regenerate and repair damaged tissue. Some current therapies, such as bone marrow transplantation, already make use of stem cells and their potential for regeneration of damaged tissues.
Why do scientists want to use stem cell lines?
Scientists want to have a variety of stem cell lines so that they can pick the best ones for their experiments. Some lines are better suited for becoming pancreatic cells, others for neurons (no one is sure why). Moreover, older cell lines are harder to grow, and many contain mutations and chromosomal abnormalities.
Why are graduate programs in stem cell research and stem cell biology necessary?
Graduate programs in stem cell research and stem cell biology are necessary so that the next generation of stem cell researchers can be properly trained to work in the field.
Why are there so many misconceptions about stem cell research?
Many times these myths and misconceptions arise because opposition groups are trying to persuade supporters that the practice is unethical. One of the many misconceptions of stem cell research is that funded research is not performed ethically.
What is the first masters degree in stem cell biology?
University of Southern California has a masters degree program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. It is also the first masters degree program in the United States involving stem cell research. The program was started in 2014, and the picture below is from the first class of students in the masters program.
How many cells are used to make a stem cell line?
This method creates the stem cell lines by removing only one cell from the embryo and that one cell is used to create the cell line.
Why are embryos not donated to stem cell research?
Some embryos used in stem cell research are also from embryos that are not chosen for in vitro fertilization procedures because the embryos will have genetic defects such as cystic fibrosis or Tay Sachs disease.
How do stem cells cure Parkinson's disease?
This technique involves the implantation of stem cells into the dead nerve or brain cells. The mice tested in the laboratory setting had the version of Parkinson’s Disease that is exhibited in mice and had only a few more weeks before the disease would completely inhibit their motor skills. However using methods used in stem cell research, the researchers were able to restore the brain cells that were dying and causing the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. The mice even began to regain motor functions that were lost before the treatment.
What is the stem cell agency?
The Stem Cell Agency takes ethical concerns in to consideration when performing research on stem cells, and adopts research standards similar to the National Institute of Health’s stem cell research program.
What is stem cell technology?
Stem cell technology is unique in that it possesses both diagnostic and therapeutic potential. iPS cells and their derivatives have provided excellent in vitromodels of disease processes. Moreover, patient-specific iPS cell models will serve as an invaluable tool for drug discovery and toxicology studies. The therapeutic potential of these cells to regenerate functional tissue and replace damaged tissue has vast potential. Additionally, stem cell–based therapies may enhance the body's own ability to repair itself. As previously mentioned, MSCs exert potent paracrine effects that are thought to be beneficial. For these reasons, the potential of stem cells to cure disease is virtually limitless. Nonetheless, major obstacles to safely implement these therapies remain and must be systematically addressed. Most immediate among these is the identification of stem cell populations that can be maintained and expanded in culture to provide the large numbers needed to be therapeutically useful. Additionally, the potential for cancerous transformation and immuno-logic rejection is largely unexplored. These issues highlight the potential danger of implementing stem cell therapies before they have been adequately studied in vitroand in vivoin animal models. More intensive characterization is required to avoid the possible lethal complications of this type of therapy. Although the current therapeutic potential of stem cell technology is in its infancy, basic research discoveries in the standardization of stem cell derivation, culture, and differentiation techniques, together with improved transplantation, engraftment, and survival strategies, will aid in the development of safer and more effective stem cell–based therapies in the future.
What is the most important advancement in stem cell research?
In stem cell research, the most exciting recent advancement has been the development of iPS cell technology. In 2006, the laboratory of Shinya Yamanaka at the Gladstone Institute was the first to reprogram adult mouse fibroblasts into an embryonic-like cell, or iPS cell, by overexpression of four transcription factors, Oct3/4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 under ES cell culture conditions (Takahashi and Yamanaka, 2006). Yamakana's pioneering work in cellular reprogramming using adult mouse cells set the foundation for the successful creation of iPS cells from adult human cells by both his team (Takahashi et al, 2007) and a group led by James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin (Yu et al, 2007). These initial proof of concept studies were expanded upon by leading scientists such as George Daley, who created the first library of disease-specific iPS cell lines (Park et al, 2008). These seminal discoveries in the cellular reprogramming of adult cells invigorated the stem cell field and created a niche for a new avenue of stem cell research based on iPS cells and their derivatives. Since the first publication on cellular reprogramming in 2006, there has been an exponential growth in the number of publications on iPS cells.
What are the uses of mesenchymal stem cells?
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a subset of adult stem cells that may be particularly useful for stem cell–based therapies for three reasons. First, MSCs have been isolated from a variety of mesenchymal tissues, including bone marrow, muscle, circulating blood, blood vessels, and fat, thus making them abundant and readily available (Deans and Moseley, 2000; Zhang et al, 2009; Lue et al, 2010; Portmann-Lanz et al, 2010). Second, MSCs can differentiate into a wide array of cell types, including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes (Pittenger et al, 1999). This suggests that MSCs may have broader therapeutic applications compared to other adult stem cells. Third, MSCs exert potent paracrine effects enhancing the ability of injured tissue to repair itself. In fact, animal studies suggest that this may be the predominant mechanism by which MSCs promote tissue repair. The paracrine effects of MSC-based therapy have been shown to aid in angiogenic, antiapoptotic, and immunomodulatory processes. For instance, MSCs in culture secrete hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (Nagaya et al, 2005). In a rat model of myocardial ischemia, injection of human bone marrow-derived stem cells upregulated cardiac expression of VEGF, HGF, bFGF, angiopoietin-1 and angiopoietin-2, and PDGF (Yoon et al, 2005). In swine, injection of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells into ischemic myocardium was shown to increase the expression of VEGF, enhance angiogenesis, and improve cardiac performance (Tse et al, 2007). Bone marrow-derived stem cells have also been used in a number of small clinical trials with conflicting results. In the largest of these trials (REPAIR-AMI), 204 patients with acute myocardial infarction were randomized to receive bone marrow-derived progenitor cells vs placebo 3–7 days after reperfusion. After 4 months, the patients that were infused with stem cells showed improvement in left ventricular function compared to control patients. At 1 year, the combined endpoint of recurrent ischemia, revascularization, or death was decreased in the group treated with stem cells (Schachinger et al, 2006).
What are embryonic stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells are derived from the inner cell mass of the developing embryo during the blastocy st stage (Thomson et al, 1998). In contrast to adult stem cells, ES cells are pluripotent and can theoretically give rise to any cell type if exposed to the proper stimuli. Thus, ES cells possess a greater therapeutic potential than adult stem cells. However, four major obstacles exist to implementing ES cells therapeutically. First, directing ES cells to differentiate into a particular cell type has proven to be challenging. Second, ES cells can potentially transform into cancerous tissue. Third, after transplantation, immunological mismatch can occur resulting in host rejection. Fourth, harvesting cells from a potentially viable embryo raises ethical concerns. At the time of this publication, there are only two ongoing clinical trials utilizing human ES-derived cells. One trial is a safety study for the use of human ES-derived oligodendrocyte precursors in patients with paraplegia (Genron based in Menlo Park, California). The other is using human ES-derived retinal pigmented epithelial cells to treat blindness resulting from macular degeneration (Advanced Cell Technology, Santa Monica, CA, USA).
How to avoid rejection of immune cells?
An alternative strategy to avoid immune rejection could employ so-called ‘gene editing’. Using this technique, the stem cell genome is manipulated ex vivoto correct the underlying genetic defect prior to transplantation. Additionally, stem cell immunologic markers could be manipulated to evade the host immune response. Two recent papers offer alternative methods for ‘gene editing’. Soldner et al(2011)used zinc finger nuclease to correct the genetic defect in iPS cells from patients with Parkinson's disease because of a mutation in the α-Synuclein (α-SYN) gene. Liu et al(2011)used helper-dependent adenoviral vectors (HDAdV) to correct the mutation in the Lamin A (LMNA) gene in iPS cells derived from patients with Hutchinson–Gilford Progeria (HGP), a syndrome of premature aging. Cells from patients with HGP have dysmorphic nuclei and increased levels of progerin protein. The cellular phenotype is especially pronounced in mature, differentiated cells. Using highly efficient helper-dependent adenoviral vectors containing wild-type sequences, they were able to use homologous recombination to correct two different Lamin Amutations. After genetic correction, the diseased cellular phenotype was reversed even after differentiation into mature smooth muscle cells. In addition to the potential therapeutic benefit, ‘gene editing’ could generate appropriate controls for in vitro studies.
How does stem cell technology impact dentistry?
The potential impact of stem cell technology on medical and dental practice is vast. Stem cell research will not only provide the foundation for future therapies, but also reveal unique insights into basic disease mechanisms. Therefore, an understanding of stem cell technology will be necessary for clinicians in the future. Herein, we give a basic overview of stem cell biology and therapeutics for the practicing clinician.
What are adult stem cells?
A majority of adult stem cells are lineage-restricted cells that often reside within ‘niches’ of their tissue of origin . Adult stem cells are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into tissue-specific cell types. Many adult tissues contain stem cells including skin, muscle, intestine, and bone marrow (Gan et al, 1997; Artlett et al, 1998; Matsuoka et al, 2001; Coulombel, 2004; Humphries et al, 2011). However, it remains unclear whether all adult organs contain stem cells. Adult stem cells are quiescent but can be induced to replicate and differentiate after tissue injury to replace cells that have died. The process by which this occurs is poorly understood. Importantly, adult stem cells are exquisitely tissue-specific in that they can only differentiate into the mature cell type of the organ within which they reside (Rinkevich et al, 2011).
What are the advantages of stem cell research?
One of the main advantages of stem cell research is in the finding of this cutting-edge method of treating heart-related issues, particularly resulting to repair, reduced remodeling, or regeneration ( Hakuno et al, 2002; Amado et al, 2005; Dai et al, 2005; Schneider et al, 2008 ). Corroborating to the “regenerative” effect of stem cell treatment is a research by Bergmann et al, 2009, which saw the renewal of the cardiomyocytes in the study.
What is stem cell research?
Stem cell research is one of the most incredible methods in medicine to showcase current and potential breakthroughs in therapy and long-term wellness. Knowing the crucial role of cells in the formation of tissues that subsequently made up the organs, a stem cell is ideally a treatment which addresses a significant number ...
How do stem cells help the spinal cord?
During clinical trials, stem cells contribute to spinal cord regeneration by renewing the neurons that died because of the injury, reform ing myelin and acting as a support column across the injury , protecting cells from damage by the release of growth factors and bonding with free radicals, and relaxing the inflammation from the injury .
What is the success of embryonic stem cell trials?
Embryonic stem cell trials to recover from blindness was a success for Jules Stein Eye Institute of University of California. After injecting retinal cells produced from stem cells into the eyes of patients, they reported improvements in their vision saying that it made a huge difference. 7.
When was stem cell research first discovered?
The discovery of the stem cell and how certain types of cells can be grown from it has been a topic of research since the early 1980’s. While most studies pertaining to this interesting topic has been mostly successful in animal models, more and more researches are being conducted to test its efficacy in human biology.
Can stem cells help with brain disorders?
Although the topic of stem cells’ ability to help people with brain-related ailments are yet to be realized, some significant animal studies are giving hope to that aspirations. Based on the studies conducted by a few groups of researchers, it has been found out that the stem cells treatment approach towards neurological disorders arising from trauma has some substantial benefits ( Daniela et al, 2007; Hu et al, 2010; Shimada and Spees, 2011 ).
Is stem cell therapy effective for Alzheimer's?
There are some medical doctors and scientists who already use stem cell treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and claim that the treatment is successful. Although there is still no approved and carefully regulated process for administering treatments, hospitals and clinics which receive the green light from the government’s health sector utilize stem cell treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s. Currently, researchers are still conducting clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease to find methods with consistent success in the future.
What is stem cell research?
Stem cell research has emerged as one of the most important new areas of human biology. Although the effort is still young, it promises to help us treat and someday even find cures for diseases such as diabetes, ALS, Parkinson’s, and leukemia.
Is Harvard a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research?
Harvard has been in the vanguard of such research, and the University, as a member of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, supported an amicus brief filed last Friday (Sept. 3), urging the court to lift the restraining order imposed in Sherley v. Sebelius. The day before that brief was filed, Harvard President Drew Faust visited ...
Does Harvard support stem cell research?
Harvard strongly supports its stem cell research ers, and we are deeply grateful for the generosity of the many private donors who will remain critical to sustaining our efforts. But without the flow of essential federal funds, the promise of stem cell science is at risk of becoming a dream deferred — and, for some, a dream undone.
What is a stem cell?
A stem cell is simply a cell that can either reproduce another stem cell or a specialized cell an infinitive amount of times. The specialized cells that can be produced have specific function related to where they are produced in the human body. Stem cell research is also categorized by the stem cell type used.
Where do adult stem cells come from?
Adult stem cells, or somatic cells, are produced from the human body once an individual is born. It can renew itself or become a specialized cell within the body just like the stem cells I explained above. They have no known origin, but they are used in most of the groundbreaking research that is currently happening.
Is stem cell research a well known method?
Stem cell research is one of the most innovative research methods being used in modern society. However, it is also not very well known in today’s society. Most people are either introduced to it when exposed to the treatment themselves or through a loved one. I was exposed to stem cell research in the ninth grade.
Can stem cells regenerate eye cells?
Currently, there is a trial involving the use of stem cells to regenerate the parts of the eye damaged due to macular degeneration . The study has been progressing successfully and there is a good change it will start testing on larger populations.
What is the ability of a stem cell to differentiate into a cell?
Unlike most cells, an ESC can change or differentiate into any type of cell - an ability called pluripotency. ESCs can also divide indefinitely without differentiating, giving them the capability of self-renewal.
What is the marker for stem cells?
In culture, embryonic stem cells form compact cell cluster colonies and show red alkaline phosphatase staining - a marker for stem cells. Silencing the Cnot3 gene results in cells that begin to show differentiated cell structure and loss of staining. (Photos courtesy of Genes and Development)
Why study ESCs?
Studying ESCs can shed light on the derivation of iPSCs and the desired cell types for cell-based therapies. Also, for many diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, there are no cell culture models to study. This lack hinders research trying to identify possible disease mechanisms or drug targets. Deriving the cell types affected by the disease from stem cells "opens up a new window to investigate what is the cause, what is behind the symptoms," said Hu. Specific cells can also be derived and used for drug screening to find new drugs to treat disease effectively.
Why is ESC differentiation important?
ESC differentiation serves as a good model to study the complex events that occur during embryonic development in mammals. Knowledge gained from stem cell research can help to further regenerative medicine.
What is the purpose of stem cell research?
Much stem cell research is aimed at understanding and treating chronic diseases of aging, such as heart disease and neurological diseases. Indeed, some advocates proclaim that stem cell research will pave the way to “regenerative medicine,” in which the tissues and organs that deteriorate with age will be replaced with new ones created from stem cells. According to this group, interventions developed through stem cell research will substantially extend the human life span.30
Why are scientists interested in stem cells?
Scientists are understandably excited about the knowledge that could come from studying human embryonic stem cells. Most of them believe these cells offer a precious opportunity to learn more about why diseases develop and how they might be prevented or attacked. In their quest to gain support for stem cell research, scientists and others have claimed that the research could generate cures and treatment for everything from heart disease to cancer.
What is the debate over embryonic stem cell research?
The debate over embryonic stem cell research should consider a diversity of ethical and policy issues. Many of the ethical and policy issues that stem cell research presents apply to biomedical research in general, such as questions about appropriate research priorities and allocation of limited resources for research and health care. In this sense, the debate over stem cell research offers an opportunity to examine a variety of ethical and policy issues raised by biomedical innovation.
How does stem cell research threaten scientific integrity?
Other threats to scientific integrity arise when stem cell research becomes the basis for exaggerated claims by interest group lobbyists. Scientific organizations have claimed that limits on government funding for embryonic stem cell research could damage U.S. scientific preeminence. In the funding controversy’s early years, critics predicted a huge “brain drain” as U.S. scientists migrated to other nations offering generous support for the research.9Yet few scientists actually left this country to engage in stem cell research.10Several states stepped in to offer substantial funding, and nonprofit and private-sector support became available, too.11Even before the Obama administration revised the federal funding policy, U.S. researchers had many opportunities to pursue embryonic stem cell research.
When was the first human embryonic stem cell line discovered?
In 1998 , researchers established the first human embryonic stem cell line. Their scientific triumph triggered an ethics and policy argument that persists today. Bioethicists, religious leaders, government officials, patient advocates, and scientists continue to debate whether this research poses a promise, a threat, or a mixed ethical picture for society.
Is stem cell research a promising research?
Stem cell research is just one form of promising research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest public funder of biomedical science, supports many kinds of research offering opportunities to advance knowledge. The research portfolios of industry and nonprofit organizations also reveal an array of promising research areas. But neither the public nor the private sector can support every promising research project. Every research funding source has limited resources. As a result, these entities face hard choices about where to invest their limited dollars. How should funding agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private companies decide where to channel their resources?
Is stem cell research a scientific inquiry?
Like the Human Genome Project, stem cell research is most likely a form of scientific inquiry whose benefits will emerge slowly and incrementally. (Indeed, the Human Genome Project is now criticized as a costly research effort that to date has produced few actual medical benefits.24) Rather than presenting stem cell research as a short-term answer for today’s patients, supporters should portray it as a promising scientific development that might, after many years of investigation, contribute to new medical interventions.25Just as physicians should be honest in disclosing a poor prognosis to a patient, scientists and advocacy groups should be honest about the lack of certainty that stem cell research will produce cures and effective therapies.
Why are stem cells important?
Stem cells may also be used as tests for cancer treatments and other lifesaving drugs. Stem cell research also has the promise of giving scientists new information about how cells divide, reproduce, and differentiate.
Is stem cell reserch good for cancer?
Despite the pros and cons, stem cells reserch has made headway in the medical field. With certain cancers it helps with spreading and can even send you into remission.
Can stem cells be used to walk again?
For example someone paralyzed by a spinal cord injury could possibly walk again with new nerve cells procreating from human embryonic stem cells or a person with diabetes could bypass insulin injections if scientists could produce insulin-manufacturing pancreatic cells.
