Is there anyone that knows and understands stem cell research that can explain to me exactly what it is. I know people have different opinions on whether it is right or wrong and I would like to learn more about it.
Stem cells are cells in your body that can grow into many different types of cells, like muscle cells, neurons (brain cells), intestine cells, immune system cells, etc.
There are hundreds of different kinds of cells that make up the tissues of your body but they all came from a single fertilized egg. In the process of growing into a complete body, the single fertilized egg cell had to divide many times and differentiate into all the special types of cells that make up the tissues of your mature body.
Once cells have differentiated (become specialized into muscle cells, bone cells, brain cells, immune system cells, etc) they cannot be turned into other kinds of cells. Stem cells, though, can be coaxed into forming many types of specialized cells, so they can be a source of cells to repair damaged or missing tissue.
Embryonic stem cells are the cells that exist briefly after the egg is fertilized, and which can form any cell type in the body. Adult stem cells are stem cells present in the adult body, which can change into different types of tissue cells. Embryonic stem cells are the most powerful kind, because they can form any of the tissues of the body. Adult stem cells are more restricted in the kinds of cells they can form.
Stem cell research is the study of how stem cells (embryonic and adult) form and function, that is, how they grow from the fertilized egg and how they can turn into the specialized cells that make up the tissues of your body.
The value in knowing how stem cells work, is that this knowledge can be used to grow new, young tissues to replace old, worn out or defective tissues. Having a supply of stem cells, and knowing how they work, would give doctors a cellular repair kit that could be used to repair or replace most any worn out or defective tissue or organ in your body. For example, it may be possible to grow, from embryonic stem cells, new immune system cells to give old people new young immune systems, so that they do not lose the ability to fight off disease as they grow older.
Stem cell research is also crucial to understanding how a fertilized egg grows into an adult organism, or sometimes, fails to grow properly (birth defects). It is also useful as a way of studying how certain diseases work, because the researcher can grow tissue cells in the lab (from stem cells) and experiment on them, without having to experiment on living patients.
No one is 'harvesting cells from murdered children' to get stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are not taken from aborted fetuses, they are grown from fertilized eggs when the eggs have grown into microscopic balls of a few dozen cells.
Cells from various tissue and organs have been found to have regenerative properties which have proven hopeful towards repairing defective organs.
The most success has been made with Adult Stem Cells. Where the controversy enters in is that there are those who are attempting to profit from the Abortion Industry by harvesting murdered children for this research. The problem is, any fetal studies that have been done have not met with near the success as Adult Stem Cells.
This is the dirty little secret they don't want you to know.
Comments
Stem cells are cells in your body that can grow into many different types of cells, like muscle cells, neurons (brain cells), intestine cells, immune system cells, etc.
There are hundreds of different kinds of cells that make up the tissues of your body but they all came from a single fertilized egg. In the process of growing into a complete body, the single fertilized egg cell had to divide many times and differentiate into all the special types of cells that make up the tissues of your mature body.
Once cells have differentiated (become specialized into muscle cells, bone cells, brain cells, immune system cells, etc) they cannot be turned into other kinds of cells. Stem cells, though, can be coaxed into forming many types of specialized cells, so they can be a source of cells to repair damaged or missing tissue.
Embryonic stem cells are the cells that exist briefly after the egg is fertilized, and which can form any cell type in the body. Adult stem cells are stem cells present in the adult body, which can change into different types of tissue cells. Embryonic stem cells are the most powerful kind, because they can form any of the tissues of the body. Adult stem cells are more restricted in the kinds of cells they can form.
Stem cell research is the study of how stem cells (embryonic and adult) form and function, that is, how they grow from the fertilized egg and how they can turn into the specialized cells that make up the tissues of your body.
The value in knowing how stem cells work, is that this knowledge can be used to grow new, young tissues to replace old, worn out or defective tissues. Having a supply of stem cells, and knowing how they work, would give doctors a cellular repair kit that could be used to repair or replace most any worn out or defective tissue or organ in your body. For example, it may be possible to grow, from embryonic stem cells, new immune system cells to give old people new young immune systems, so that they do not lose the ability to fight off disease as they grow older.
Stem cell research is also crucial to understanding how a fertilized egg grows into an adult organism, or sometimes, fails to grow properly (birth defects). It is also useful as a way of studying how certain diseases work, because the researcher can grow tissue cells in the lab (from stem cells) and experiment on them, without having to experiment on living patients.
No one is 'harvesting cells from murdered children' to get stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are not taken from aborted fetuses, they are grown from fertilized eggs when the eggs have grown into microscopic balls of a few dozen cells.
Cells from various tissue and organs have been found to have regenerative properties which have proven hopeful towards repairing defective organs.
The most success has been made with Adult Stem Cells. Where the controversy enters in is that there are those who are attempting to profit from the Abortion Industry by harvesting murdered children for this research. The problem is, any fetal studies that have been done have not met with near the success as Adult Stem Cells.
This is the dirty little secret they don't want you to know.
There is an interesting article from President Bush discussing stem cell research. You may want to read this to further your knowledge.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20...