Table of Contents
- 1 Should scientists use stem cells?
- 2 How are scientists trying to get around ethical concerns about the use of embryonic stem cells in medicine and research?
- 3 How do scientists think stem cells will be used to treat spinal cord injuries in the future?
- 4 What are the advantages and risks of using stem cells in medicine?
- 5 Can you turn adult stem cells into pluripotent stem cell types?
- 6 What are the NIH guidelines for stem cell research?
Should scientists use stem cells?
Researchers and doctors hope stem cell studies can help to: Increase understanding of how diseases occur. By watching stem cells mature into cells in bones, heart muscle, nerves, and other organs and tissue, researchers and doctors may better understand how diseases and conditions develop.
What do scientists hope to use stem cells for in the future?
Decades of research has allowed us to glimpse the potential of stem cells to treat disease. It is possible they will give us life-changing therapies for multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and macular degeneration, amongst others. Eye disease been a prime target for stem cell treatments.
How are scientists trying to get around ethical concerns about the use of embryonic stem cells in medicine and research?
Scientists have found a way to make human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, a breakthrough that could overcome intense ethical objections to the research. The cell is then tested for defects such as cystic fibrosis, and if it is healthy, the embryo is implanted.
Why we should not use stem cells?
Some opponents of stem cell research argue that it offends human dignity or harms or destroys human life. Proponents argue that easing suffering and disease promotes human dignity and happiness, and that destroying a blastocyst is not the same as taking a human life.
How do scientists think stem cells will be used to treat spinal cord injuries in the future?
But stem cells are considered promising because they are self-renewing human cells that can differentiate into one or more specific cell types. Ideally, treatments for spinal cord injuries would limit existing cell death, stimulate growth from existing cells, and replace injured cells.
Do you think it is morally acceptable to use embryos for research?
Some argue that as long as the decision to donate embryos for research is made after the decision to discard them, it is morally permissible to use them in HESC research even if we assume that they have the moral status of persons. The claim takes two different forms.
What are the advantages and risks of using stem cells in medicine?
An advantage of the usage of adult stem cells to treat disease is that a patient’s own cells could be used to treat a patient. Risks would be quite reduced because patients’ bodies would not reject their own cells.
Are there any federal regulations on stem cell research?
Federal regulations on stem cell research. In the United States, federal policy regarding stem cell research has evolved over time as different presidents have taken office. It’s important to note that no federal regulation has ever explicitly banned stem cell research in the United States.
Can you turn adult stem cells into pluripotent stem cell types?
Stem cell research has the potential to have a significant impact on human health. However, there is some controversy around the development, usage, and destruction of human embryos. Scientists may be able to ease these concerns by using a new method that can turn adult stem cells into pluripotent stem cells, which can change into any cell type.
Can we control how stem cells turn into other types of cells?
Researchers are currently focusing on finding ways to control how stem cells turn into other types of cells. A primary goal of research on embryonic stem cells is to learn how undifferentiated stem cells turn into differentiated stem cells that form specific tissues and organs.
What are the NIH guidelines for stem cell research?
The NIH then published guidelines to establish the policy under which it would fund research. The guidelines were written to help make sure that all NIH-funded research on human stem cells is morally responsible and scientifically relevant. Stem cell research is ongoing at universities, research institutions, and hospitals around the world.