Stem+Cell+Research+and+its+Applications

Stem Cell Research and its Applications: Sarah Clarke and Annie Newbert



This paper is meant to give a comprehensive summation of what stem cells are. Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can be utilized by doctors and scientists to specialize as cells that the body needs. Stem cells consist of embryonic and adult stem cells that are derived from the body at different times during the lifespan and from different places. There are many differences between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells and these differences affect how they are cultured and how often they are used. Scientific breakthroughs led to the discovery of these versatile cells and now further research is proving some original theories wrong. Scientist are finding ways to use one’s own adult stem cells as unspecialized stem cells through genetic alteration, bypassing culturing difficulties and the risk of rejection in the human body. Furthermore this paper is aimed at providing the public with the necessary data and facts regarding stem cell research and its applications. This paper includes detailed descriptions of what stem cells are, what is needed for this research to happen, what conditions this research can benefit, as well as areas where this research has worked. This paper is meant to inspire people to become supporters of stem cell research and all its applications it is used for. This paper also includes data and statistics showing the benefits of stem cell research as well as pictures and diagrams showing what is involved in this stem cell process.
 * __ Abstract __**

This subject interested me because of the variety of clinical applications there are for stem cells research. So many people suffer from neurological, muscular, and other degenerative diseases and the prospect that future generations who will have these conditions can be helped is uplifting. Along with applications such as Alzheimer’s and muscular dystrophy doctors can also apply stem cells to people who have become paralyzed or who suffer from diabetes and so much more. Overall I believe stem cells are a great breakthrough and will be one of the greatest advances in medicine for a long time. What Are Stem Cells? ** Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different types of specialized cells. Early on in development stem cells are referred to as embryonic stem cells and are used to build and strengthen their specific tissues. Later in life the function of stem cells change, they are now known as adult stem cells and will be utilized to repair worn down or damaged tissues. Stem cells are present in the human body before the embryo implants in the uterus; this stage is known as the blastocyst stage. At this stage the stem cells are unspecialized and referred to as pluripotent cell because they are capable of forming embryonic tissue but are unable to form a complete organism without the support of the placenta (ALS). About twenty “pluripotent” cells are present within the embryo by the time it implants in the uterus.
 * Introduction: **


 * Differences Between Embryonic and Adult Stem Cells **

· ** Unspecialized stem cells are easily cultured and easy keep unspecialized ** || · It is hard to find stem cells in mature tissue
 * **Embryoni** Embryonic Stem Cells **c Stem Cells** || **Adu** Adult Stem Cells **lt Stem Cells** ||
 * · ** Unspecialized ** || · Specialized ||
 * · ** Can be trained to develop into different types of cells ** || · Are not capable of developing into tissue that they are not already specialized for ||
 * · ** During development unspecialized stem cells are plentiful **

· Adult stem cells are hard to culture and are hard to keep from becoming specialized · Can become mutated ||

There are three defining characteristics of embryonic stem cells o They are capable of dividing for long periods of time. This is why embryonic stem cells are so easy to culture in the laboratory. o Stem cells are also unspecialized. Because stem cells are unspecialized scientists can easily grow them in the laboratory without them specializing on their own. o Stem cells can all so be specialized. Scientists create specialized cells out of stem cells through differentiation. Differentiation is a long process involving several steps. § Internal signals are controlled by genes carry the coded information for all cellular structure and functions § External signals include chemical secretions and physical contact with neighboring cells § The interaction of these signals cause the DNA to gain specific marks called epigenetic marks § Epigenetic marks are what cause a cell to be specific and that allow all the specific characteristics to be passed on through mitosis.
 * Characteristics of Stem Cells **

o Adult stem cells are not nearly as flexible. However stem cells in bone marrow can give rise to a number of blood cells.



One of the biggest problems with transplant medicine is that there is always the chance the new cells introduced into the body will be rejected. This leaves people often unable to accept the tissue, organ or cells necessary to maintain life and can even cause death. However one of the breakthroughs in stem cells research revolves around pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells, as I mentioned earlier, are present in the first stages of embryonic development, and from about twenty unspecialized cells all of our cells evolve and specialize. Induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs are adult stem cells that have been genetically modified to behave as embryonic stem cells. Research on iPSCs began around 2006 and soon after in 2007 scientist started working with human iPSCs. These cells are significant because now a person’s own stem cells can be reprogrammed to serve a necessary function somewhere else in one’s body. This development circumnavigates the necessity of having donor cells and avoids the problem of rejection of new cells by the body.


 * Common misconceptions**

Embryonic stem cells for research are not taken from eggs grown within a woman’s body · The embryos that these stem cells come from are from eggs that have been fertilized //in-vitro// in an //in-vitro// fertilization clinic. They are then donated for research with consent from the donors. They are then cultured in labs for proliferation.

The brain cannot generate new cells · This is false, in the 1990s scientists discovered that the adult brain does contain stem cells that can generate all three of the brain’s major cells types: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and neurons.

--"Stem Cell Research." //ALS Society of Canada//. 1996. Web. 10 May 2010. Available at < []> --Stem Cell Basics. In // Stem Cell Information // [World Wide Web site]. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009 [cited Monday, May 17, 2010] Available at < [] > --Pluripotent image [] --Stem cell image [|http://jwit.webinstituteforteachers.org/~hweiner/webquest/images/stem-cell-4.jpg]


 * __ Discussion by Annie Newbert __**
 * __ Applications of Stem Cell Research __**

*Stem cell research is a miraculous medical discovery which has emerged and progressed as recent as 15 years ago. This field of alternative medicine offers significant hope for patients with chronic diseases and cancers. I chose to work on this topic for many reasons. I have had my grandfather and my uncle both die from heart disease and severe heart attacks, my grandma survived colon cancer, an aunt was diagnosed last year with breast cancer, my grandmother and another aunt both have diabetes, and an uncle had cancer in his throat. With so much illness in my family, I wanted to find and research a topic which had significant meaning in my personal life. With this research, new cures could be found and these diseases may be able to be prevented if enough support is shown. I have known for years this research was of great importance, and after this project, I am more than hopeful results will be seen. I fully support this research and all the applications it produces. It would be great if I never had to watch the pain my grandmother and aunt go through daily giving themselves insulin shots, and it would be great if I did not lose my aunt to breast cancer. This research is capable of finding cures to these diseases as well as many more.
 * __ Introduction __**


 * Stem cells can be used for biological research and also for clinical studies and trials. By conducting this research using stem cells, either embryonic or adult stem cells, scientists can begin to place together information regarding human development as well as how certain cells age, deteriorate, and multiply. This research can also give scientists an eye opener to how these cells can manipulate themselves and become other tissues and other targeted cells needed.

__**Areas of Stem Cell Research**__ · //Replacement of Damaged Tissues and Destroyed Cells// o A patient’s tissues and cells become destroyed and can no longer do their job in providing health to the individual when they are infected by a disease. By testing with stem cells and researching their genetic material, these stem cells may be able to create brand new tissue which can overtake the damage and destroyed cells and help the individual become healthy again. (8) · // Further regeneration of tissues and cells // o When patients need a transplant or a donation, doctors must search in a database and find a possible donor for their patient. When family members are not a match, doctors must look deeper and hope an organ becomes readily available. The problem with this though is not everyone commits to organ donation. So even with the thousands of deaths that occur each day, maybe only a handful of people have consented to donating their organs. As more diseases and conditions are diagnosed each day, the supply of these organs does not even reach close to the demand from hospitals for their patients. If stem cell research was conducted, scientists could manipulate embryonic cells and culture them to grow into a specific cell or tissue which could then be transplanted into the patient, making the need for organ donation far less a priority. (9) **·** // Testing of New Drugs // o By implementing the use of stem cell research, new drugs and prescriptions could be researched and produced. Scientists and researchers could screen their new drugs and be able to see if their medication could work, or if it could cause any harm. They would test out these drugs on the newly formed tissues from the cells and predict whether or not their remedy would work before testing it on animals or humans. (8) **·** // Understanding how genetics works // o Stem cell research can provide scientists and researchers with how cell development works and how some cells develop abnormally which lead to birth defects, such as Down syndrome, or even specialized diseases, such as breast cancer. By studying these stem cells, researchers could ultimately begin to find a cure for these diseases as well as learn how to prevent these cases from happening in the future.(9)

__**Stem Cell Therapies (6)**__ **·** //Bone Marrow Transplants// o Stem cells can remake bone marrow and be transferred into patients who need more bone marrow. These new cells can restore all the different cell types of blood after chemotherapy or radiation, lowering the need to find matches for bone marrow donors **·** //Skin Replacement// o Scientists can use these stem cells to grow skin from a patient’s hair cell since skin cells lie in the hair follicles. By manipulating these certain cells, skin can be cultured and grown for skin grafts and for venous ulcers and burn victims **·** // Brain Cell Transplantation // o Research has shown embryonic and adult stem cells have the capability of re-creating neural stem cells which will have profound benefits for many neurological diseases · // Treatment for Diabetes // o This is a disease which affects more than 16 million people around the United States and is caused by the lack of insulin being able to be produced and released in the body. Currently, scientists have used mouse stem cells and found a way for insulin producing cells to be regenerated.

· Medical benefits of regenerative medicine and therapeutic diseases · Provide vast hope for finding treatments and cures for a number of diseases and conditions · Endless amount of knowledge to be learned about human growth and cell development · Economic gains for society (Experiment resources)
 * __Benefits of Stem Cell Research and Therapies (7)__**

__**Arguments against Stem Cell Research (4)**__ · “We should not mess with human life” · “Humans should not be trying to play God” · People believe if stem cell research is continued and embryonic stem cell research continues and becomes legal, cloning would be closer to becoming practiced and the techniques of manipulation of cells would lead to cloning of humans · People argue with the use of embryonic stem cells because they believe it is taking away a human life and against their religion to kill an unborn life (7) · This research involves destroying the blastocyst from the fertilized human eggs which is a moral and ethical debate because many believe life begins at conception and killing and destroying this embryo would be immoral

· Parkinson’s Disease · Alzheimer’s Disease · Heart Diseases, Stroke, and type 1 diabetes · Birth Defects · Spinal Cord Injuries · Replacing damaged organs · Helping fight cancers · Diabetes · Spinal Cord Injuries · Huntington’s Disease · Preventing birth defects · Burns · Heart Disease · Arthritis · Strokes · Leukemia
 * __Conditions which would benefit from stem cell research findings and uses (4)__**

· There are clinical studies progressing each day due to the applications of stem cell research. For example, today on May 16, 2010, there was an article published in Medical News Today about a new finding Stanford scientists have discovered. They have found, through stem cell research, there are specialized cells called hair cells which “detect vibrations in the air and translate them into sound”. By the use of stem cells, scientists could then discover the molecular basis of hearing which could ultimately cause them to find improved treatments for deafness. This is a remarkable achievement. (1) · On February 1, 2007, Ann Arbor writes that the University of Michigan identified stem cells in pancreatic cancer. Scientists were able to locate and isolate cancer stem cells in the cells of the pancreatic tumors which fuel the cancer. Her article states that “current cancer treatments sometimes fail because they are not attacking the cancer stem cells”. By implementing this research, scientists can develop drugs and treatments to kill these cancerous cells, which is essential for pancreatic cancer patients because nearly everyone who is diagnosed will die. (2)
 * __Case Studies of Stem Cell Research__**

__**Where we currently are with Stem Cell Research**__ · According to a CNN report from 2006, the Bush administration vetoed an embryonic stem cell bill as the president stated it “crossed a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it”. He believed life begins at conception and our lives begin as a small collection of cells. Because of this veto, only a small amount of funding was set aside for adult stem cell therapy, although scientists claimed in this report those labs were contaminated and unusable for any additional research. (3) · When Obama took office in 2009, one of his first orders of business was to lift the barriers on this research and fully support stem cell research and give federal funding for this. The White house website reveals how Obama stated this claim;

“By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Policy. Research involving human embryonic stem cells and human non-embryonic stem cells has the potential to lead to better understanding and treatment of many disabling diseases and conditions. Advances over the past decade in this promising scientific field have been encouraging, leading to broad agreement in the scientific community that the research should be supported by Federal funds. Sec. 2. Research. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary), through the Director of NIH, may support and conduct responsible, scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, to the extent permitted by law.” (5)


 * With this new statement from our President, research can now be practiced and hopefully within a matter of a few years, we will begin to see results from this research and cures and treatments will be produced.

(1) "Aiming To Cure Deafness, Stanford Scientists Create Functional Inner-Ear Cells." //Medical News Today: Health News//. Web. 16 May 2010. . (2) Arbor, Ann. "UMHS Press Release: Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cells Identified." //University of Michigan Health System//. Web. 17 May 2010. . (3) Bash, Dana. "CNN.com - Bush Vetoes Embryonic Stem-cell Bill - Sep 4, 2006." //CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News//. Web. 15 May 2010. . (4) Experiment Resources (2008). Stem Cell Research - Pros and Cons. Retrieved [Date of Retrieval] from Experiment Resources: [] (5) Obama, Barack. "Removing Barriers to Responsible Scientific Research Involving Human Stem Cells." //The White House//. Web. 18 May 2010. . (6) Pecorino, Dr. Lauren. "Stem Cells for Cell-Based Therapies (ActionBioscience)." //ActionBioscience - Promoting Bioscience Literacy//. Web. 16 May 2010. . (7) Phillips, Theresa. "Stem Cell Research Debate - Stem Cell Pros and Cons - Ethical Use of Stem Cells." //Biotechnology - Biomedical - Biotech//. Web. 17 May 2010. . (8) “Stem Cell Basics”: What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realized? . In // Stem Cell Information //. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009. (9) "Stem Cell Research." //Consumer Health News, Information and Resources Updated Daily//. Web. 17 May 2010. .
 * __ Literature Cited __**