Dylan Wissman

Mrs. Jones

Stem Cell Research Paper

December 11, 2009

Stem Cell Research

Stem cells are very complex, useful and fascinating cells in the body because of their uses and

their structure. Stem cells are the very first cells produced in the womb of the human beings mother.

Stem cells are cells that have not yet got a job or function. It sounds useless but stem cells are

resourceful because they can change into any type of cell in the body. While in the nine weeks of labor,

the stem cells get a signal telling them what to turn into, eventually forming a fetus or the baby.

Stem cells have many uses that are beyond the capability of any other cell in the human body.

Their ability to change into various types of cells makes them very resourceful. They can be used to cure

diseases from cancer to Parkinson’s disease. If the liver was failing the stem cells could be injected into

the liver to differentiate and become liver cells to repair the liver. Stem cells have been used to cure

paralyzed rats and human in stem-cell-therapy. Stem cells can also clone rats by taking the DNA of the

rats and forming an identical copy. Scientists hope to use this skill to eventually clone humans in the

future.

Stem cells process of becoming a cell is very simple. The stem cell gets a signal from the body

telling what type of cell it needs at the time. The stem cell then starts to plan and starts functions to

form the parts of that certain cell. Then the stem cell is sent to the area to become part of the organ,

tissue, etc. Here is when the stem cell makes its final transformation and turns into the cell and joins

the other cell.

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There are two main types of stem cells that are used today, adult stem and embryonic stem

cells. Adult stem cells come from either the bone marrow of the adult or the organs or tissues of the

adult. The adult stem cells are gathered by donors that give parts of their tissues, organs and bone

marrow. Adult stem cells are the cells that are used to repair organs and tissues that are damaged. The

problem with the adult stem cells is that there is a small amount of them in the human body. While

embryonic stem cells are the ones that are first found in the womb that form a fetus. Embryonic stem

cells are gathered by many different sources, from the blood in the umbilical cord to the fetus that have

been miscarried or have gone through abortion. One major problem with these cells is that they can

form out of control tumors that often can’t be cured.

I personal think that stem cell research is a positive thing and I believe that it should further be

researched so scientists are able to reach the full potential of stem cells. I think that stem cells are a

very good resource to have when it comes to curing diseases like cancer. Although I am for stem cells

I’m against using them to clone humans or parts of the body. I’m against this because I believe God

made everything natural for a reason and cloning would only take away a body’s uniqueness. If a body

part or organ was need for a life or death situation, I would look at organ donors first and then maybe

the cloning of a body part when that is available.

Although I am for stem cell research I think that the way stem cells are obtained should also be

censored. In my opinion I think that getting embryonic stem cells from a fetus that was aborted is a bad

idea because I’m against abortion. Getting them from the blood of an umbilical cord, tissues and organs

is just fine with me. Although, I am for getting them with a fetus that has been miscarried because I

think God has done everything for a reason, and that maybe he decided that the child’s purpose was for

a breakthrough in stem cell research. But it should be the choice of the parents if the fetus is used for

stem cell research. So all and all I am mostly for stem cell research and for the use of stem cells.

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Bibliography

Kalb, Claudia. "The Whole World Is Watching." Newsweek 30 Mar. 2009: 44-46. Print.

Park, Alice. "The Quest Resumes." time 9 Feb. 2009: 39-43. Print.

"Stem cells. What are Stem Cells? Where do Stem Cells come from? What are differences between

embryonic, fetal and adult stem cells?." Adult Stem Cell Therapy - Heart Disease | Peripheral Artery

Disease Treatment. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://vescell.com/stem-cell-information.php>.

"What is a Stem Cell?." Learn.Genetics (TM). N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2009.

<http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/stemcells/scintro/>.

"Where Do Stem Cells Come From." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2009. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/where-do-stem-cells-come-from-faq.htm>.