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What is embryonic stem cell research used for?
Embryonic, or pluripotent, stem cells offer even more dramatic prospects for new treatments and cures for conditions such as spinal cord injuries, blindness and juvenile diabetes, as well as Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Some religious communities believe that embryonic stem cell research destroys innocent life and should not be allowed. Others believe that while the embryo has moral worth, a group of a hundred cells no bigger than the head of a pin is not the same as a person. Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells, meaning cells that can make any other cell in the body. They are made from cells found in very early human embryos, called blastocysts. Because of the inevitable consequences of reproductive cloning, it is prohibited in Islam. However, stem cell research for therapeutic purposes is permissible with full consideration, and all possible precautions in the pre-ensoulment stages of early fetus development, if the source is legitimate. The Catholic Church has become the leading voice against any form of human cloning and even against the creation of human embryonic stem-cell lines from ‘excess’ in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos. Whereas Germany, Austria, Italy, Finland, Portugal and the Netherlands prohibit or severely restrict the use of embryonic stem cells, Greece, Sweden, Spain and the United Kingdom have created the legal basis to support this research. Belgium bans reproductive cloning but allows therapeutic cloning of embryos.
What is embryonic stem cell research simple definition?
Embryonic Stem Cells Definition An embryonic stem cell is a cell derived from the early stages of an embryo which is capable of differentiating into any type of body cell. Embryonic stem cells are capable of differentiating into any cell type because in the embryo that is what they are used for. What Is Stem Cell Therapy? The popularity of stem cell treatments has significantly increased, thanks to its high effectiveness and recorded success rates of up to 80%. It is a modern type of regenerative medical treatment that uses a unique biological component called stem cells. Embryos are whole human beings, at the early stage of their maturation. The term ’embryo’, similar to the terms ‘infant’ and ‘adolescent’, refers to a determinate and enduring organism at a particular stage of development. Pluripotent human stem cells, which can develop into any tissue type in the body but cannot become an adult human being, are not human beings at all and do not have any moral rights. Pluripotent stem cells can be bought, sold, and patented. Stem cells build tissue when and where it’s needed. Without stem cells, wounds would never heal, your skin and blood could not continually renew themselves, fertilized eggs would not grow into babies, and babies would not grow into adults. Scientists discovered ways to derive embryonic stem cells from early mouse embryos nearly 30 years ago, in 1981. The detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery, in 1998, of a method to derive stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory.
Are embryonic stem cells used today?
The embryonic stem cells used in research today come from unused embryos. These result from an in vitro fertilization procedure. They are donated to science. These embryonic stem cells are pluripotent. Research on embryo and human embryonic stem cells is authorised by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, Schedule 2. The use of human embryos is necessary and the research fulfils at least one of the purposes set out in the Act: Increasing knowledge about serious disease or other serious conditions. Cons of the stem cell therapy include: Adult stem cells are hard to grow for long period in culture. There is still no technology available to generate adult stem cells in large quantities. Stimulated pluripotent cells normally do not have any p method of maintenance and reproducibility. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are found in the inner cell mass of the human blastocyst, an early stage of the developing embryo lasting from the 4th to 7th day after fertilization. In normal embryonic development, they disappear after the 7th day, and begin to form the three embryonic tissue layers. Current legal position The use of embryos for research is heavily restricted in Germany under the Embryo Protection Act (Embryonenschutzgesetz) 1991, which makes the derivation of embryonic stem cell lines a criminal offence. The embryo is also protected under the German Constitution (Grundgesetz).
Why is embryonic stem cell research banned?
Opponents argue that the research is unethical, because deriving the stem cells destroys the blastocyst, an unimplanted human embryo at the sixth to eighth day of development. As Bush declared when he vetoed last year’s stem cell bill, the federal government should not support “the taking of innocent human life.” 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. In a move to curb rampant malpractice, India has banned commercial use of stem cells as elements of therapy and warned of punishments to erring clinicians claiming stem cell cures for diseases through direct-to-consumer marketing. Though Hinduism believes that life begins at conception, the religion has no official position on stem cell research.
What is the main purpose of stem cells?
Stem cells are cells with the potential to develop into many different types of cells in the body. They serve as a repair system for the body. There are two main types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. People who might benefit from stem cell therapies include those with spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer and osteoarthritis. This type of stem cell injection treatment could be utilized to: Produce insulin to treat patients with diabetes. Produce healthy heart muscle cells after a heart attack. Replace neurons damaged by Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, or stroke. Studies have discovered that stem cell therapy can help enhance the growth of new healthy skin tissue, enhance collagen production, stimulate hair development after incisions or loss, and help substitute scar tissue with newly developed healthy tissue. The most common way of removing stem cells involves taking them from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, which destroys the embryo. However, there is another method in which a single cell is extracted from the blastocyst that leaves the embryo entirely intact.
Why are embryonic stem cells better?
Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they can give rise to every cell type in the fully formed body, but not the placenta and umbilical cord. These cells are incredibly valuable because they provide a renewable resource for studying normal development and disease, and for testing drugs and other therapies. For example, by directing the embryonic stem cells to turn into insulin-producing cells, they may be able to transplant the cells into people with type 1 diabetes. Other medical conditions that may potentially be treated with embryonic stem cells include: traumatic spinal cord injury. stroke. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are found in the inner cell mass of the human blastocyst, an early stage of the developing embryo lasting from the 4th to 7th day after fertilization. In normal embryonic development, they disappear after the 7th day, and begin to form the three embryonic tissue layers. The Catholic Church has opposed human embryonic stem cell research and any kind of human cloning because they are contrary to the dignity of procreation, of conjugal union and of human embryos.
Are embryonic stem cells legal?
It’s illegal to create embryos specifically for research, but US researchers can use embryos from in vitro fertilization that would otherwise be discarded and have been donated for research. According to traditional Christian views, beginning at conception, the embryo has moral status as a human being, and thus most assisted reproductive technologies are forbidden. On the contrary assisted reproduction is totally unacceptable to Roman Catholicism, while Protestants, Anglicans, Coptic Christians and Sunni Muslims accept most of its forms, which do not involve gamete or embryo donation. As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops declared: “Clearly, the Church favors ethically acceptable stem cell research. It opposes destroying some human lives now, on the pretext that this may possibly help other lives in the future. We must respect life at all times, especially when our goal is to save lives.”