Since the initial discovery of stem cells, stem cell treatments have been billed as a cure for most diseases of civilization and vilified as the pinnacle of scientific hubris. The proponents of stem cells cite their ability to become virtually any cell type in the body as a miracle, while haters cite ethics as a reason to prevent stem cell treatments’ development. However, neither of these views tell everything about stem cell treatments. In contrast to detractors’ message about stem cells, stem cells can be extracted from multiple sources, not just embryos. The main sources of stem cells are adult tissues and embryos.
The elephant in the room is the extraction of stem cells from embryos. Embryonic stem cells are generated during the stage of pregnancy when many people have not even taken a test after the first four or five days, in a process that forms what is called the blastocyst. The two primary sources of embryos are unused embryos from in vitro fertilization and a process called therapeutic cloning. Basically, both of these processes involve merging a donor egg with the nucleus from a cell and making the resulting egg divide until it reaches the blastocyst stage. At this point, stem cells can be extracted from the blastocyst. Embryonic stem cells are currently viewed as the most useful type of stem cell due to their extreme adaptability. Embryonic stem cells can develop into any type of cell in the human body, except sperm or egg cells. Therefore, they have vast potential. But, embryonic stem cell extraction carries a whole slew of both ethical and logistical conundrums, including the status of the embryo (living or non-living) and the limited availability and difficulty of extraction of eggs.
A much less controversial and relatively new source of stem cells is adult tissue. There are two methods for extracting stem cells from adult tissues. The first involves finding a natural source of stem cells within the body, such as bone marrow. However, this method has a huge downside, the stem cells can only differentiate into several cell types, dictated by where they are extracted from. The second method involves taking adult cells and convincing them to become stem cells outside of the body. This method shows a lot of promise but needs to have some kinks worked out before it can be taken to the streets.
Stem cells present exciting possibilities. If stem cell therapies develop to maturity, it is likely that diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Heart Failure and disabilities such as Blindness and Paralysis may be a thing of the past. Stem cells do this by repairing or replacing the damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue. Currently, there are barriers to the widespread use of stem cells. The main obstacles are accessibility and compatibility. The difficulty of extracting and producing these stem cells cannot be overstated. With current technologies, it is still an unrefined and expensive process, one not yet fully understood. Furthermore, stem cells made from other people’s cells are not always welcome in a patient’s body even when accompanied with immunosuppressant drugs. These drugs do not always prevent the body from attacking the stem cells, viewing them as foreign tissue.
Stem cells are definitely something to look out for in the future. The technology is still in its infancy but we can expect amazing developments in the near future.
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