Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Stem Cell Research - Essay Exampleern, it is important to remember that stem cell research should not be used as just another tool in the long standing debate between science and religion. There are certainly plenty of other concerns in that genre. Stem cell research is a new and necessary technological advance that will help cure many previously incurable diseases and transmitted defects. This research in any case adds more insight into the miracle that is this universe. The real debate here is between ethical principles that upon closer scrutiny may not be so far apart.What are stem cells? The general scientific definition is as follows, Stem cells are self-renewing, non-differentiated cells with the ability to differentiate into a number of specialized phenotypes in response to appropriate signals. (Cai, Fu, & Sheng, 2007, p. 655) More simply stated, stem cells are the progenitor cells, the building blocks, of all the diverse cells in our bodies. Starting in the embryo, these ce lls are what scientist also call undifferentiated. They hire not yet begun the process of forming the myriad variety of differentiated cells that make up a human being. Skin cells, liver cells, kidney cells, etc. all start out as stem cells and then become differentiated into these individual types.This research has typically used embryos taken from fertility clinics onward they are discarded. These embryos are allowed to continue to develop further until the stage when they form a hollow sphere called a blastocyst. The inner cell walls of this sphere have a small amount of stem cells attached to them. These cells are gently removed and harvested then placed in cultures with nurturing feeder cells. A protein rich blood line is added and the cells begin to multiply. (Brown, 2007) These cells can then, hypothetically, be used to replace virtually any cell in the human bodySeveral human diseases result from the outrage of specific types of cells. So far, medicines approach to trea tment has been to replace the chemicals