Stem Cells!
The stem from which new life may
sprout
By Mitch Naveh
What are Stem Cells?
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Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can
divided and specialize to make an extremely wide
variety of cells with an extremely wide variety of
functions.
There are 2 main types: embryonic stem cells and
adult stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells are the stem cells produced
when a newly fertilized egg begins to divide. They
can divide into any kind of tissue.
Adult stem cells are the stem cells that reside in
already developed tissue. They can also be found
in children and infants, not just adults. They are
less versatile in their uses.
What makes Stem Cells special?
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Stem cells can
divide and become
any one of many
different cell types.
Most other cells are
already
differentiated and
can therefore only
perform one set of
predetermined
actions.
What are some examples of Adult
Stem Cells?
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All the time, blood cells are being created and
destroyed in your body. Adult stem cells in bone
marrow are the cells responsible for replacing the
lost blood cells. Some stem cells divide and form
red blood cells, others become different types of
white blood cells.
How do Researchers intend to use
Stem Cells?
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Researchers are trying to use stem cells to grow
diseased tissue and understand how it develops so
they can find out how to prevent them.
o ex) Researchers are using the ways in which cells in the brain
differentiate in order to understand the processes that go awry
and cause Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
How do Researchers intend to use
Stem Cells?
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Researchers are targeting all kinds of
diseases, not just ones in the brain like
Alzheimer's disease.
Some medical researchers are using
pluripotent stem cells to develop insulin
producing cells like those normally found in
the pancreas. This method has been tested
in mice that have lost the ability to produce
insulin in some cells. The implanted cells
produced insulin and effectively treated
diabetes.
More uses of Stem Cells
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Scientists have found
that certain adult stem
cells might be able to
replace damaged
nerve cells from spinal
cord injuries.
Damaged cells in
organs could possibly
also be replaced by
stem cells, allowing
experts to replace bad
tissue with new,
working tissue.
A Real Life Case
In Lovettsville, Virginia, the racehorse Vintage 'Vinty' Mark
was injected with stem cells in an attempt to heal an
injured tendon. Soon after, the leg improved dramatically
and the horse was able to go back to training.
So Where can we get Stem Cells?
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Stem cells can be acquired through "in vitro fertilization". This
is when an egg is fertilized by a sperm outside of the body.
This is a popular treatment for infertility when other methods
have failed. "In Vitro" means in glass, and is used because
early experiments with living tissues outside organisms were
done in glass. Now is merely means outside the body.
When this process is done, and the egg is fertilized, it will
divide to become a ball of nearly 100 blastocysts, some of
which will be implanted into the woman, some of which will
not. After becoming pregnant, couples must decide what to
do with the extra embryos. Sometimes they donate them to
research, giving researchers a source of embryonic stem
cells.
Where can we get Stem Cells?
(continued...)
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Stem Cells can also be made by taking adult cells and
"reprogramming" them, genetically, to act like
embryonic stem cells. Sometimes this process can
include completely replacing the nucleus of an adult cell
with one that contains the same genetic information of
an embryonic stem cell.
These types of cells are known as induced pluripotent
stem cells.
Induced pluripotent stem cells are actually used more
commonly as of late, because they don't require a donor
to donate an unused embryo.
What do people actually know
about stem cells?
Based on the data collected from my survey...
What people know:
A majority of people know what a stem cell is, and nearly 2/3 of people
surveyed know that they still have stem cells in their body even as adults or
near adults. 3/4 also know that stem cells can be acquired from both
embryos and from altering other cells.
What people don't know:
Less than half of the people surveyed know about all of the purposes that stem
cells can be used for. Most said that stem cells could be used for growing
organs, when in fact, they can also be used for curing diseases, regrowing
limbs and cloning living things, which were the other options.
Less than 1/4 know that stem cells can be used to cure a multitude of diseases.
The majority of people thought that stem cells could only be used for curing
Alzheimer's or spinal injuries.
Do people think stem cells are
ethical?
Based on the data collected from my survey...
Half of the participants believed that stem cells are ethical and okay to be used,
while the other half said it depends on how they are used. Almost none said
that stem cells are definitely unethical.
When asked to explain their reasoning, those that said stem cells are ethical
said that because stem cells could save lives or they just didn't care enough
about stem cells to say they are unethical. On the other hand, those who
were against it said that they were against abortion or it was against their
religion.
Understanding the Results
Based on the data collected from my survey...
People generally know what stem cells are but are
extremely uninformed about all of the potential uses that
stem cells could have.
On the ethics side of things, people are either unsure or
perfectly okay with stem cell research, while a small
group protests the idea. Barely anybody said they would
not let stem cells be used on their bodies under any
circumstances which shows how open minded people
are about this new medical treatment.
Take Away from this Presentation
In this presentation we've seen where stem
cells can come from, what stem cells can be
used for, and how common people view or
think about stem cells.
All of the information presented to you should
get you to at least consider the potential that
stem cell research could have in science, but
more importantly, in medicine.
Picture Links
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http://www.docstoc.com/docs/24426742/Lecture-12-Nervous-Tissue-IFunctional-Organization-Spinal-Cord-and-Spinal-Nerves-11-1-NervousTissue-•-Found-in
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/24426742/Lecture-12-Nervous-Tissue-IFunctional-Organization-Spinal-Cord-and-Spinal-Nerves-11-1-NervousTissue-•-Found-in
http://www.business-opportunities.biz/2013/04/25/no-more-blood-banksgrowing-red-blood-cells/
http://www.patentbaristas.com/archives/2007/04/03/warf-stem-cell-patentsknocked-down-in-round-one/
http://gardenoflearningsc.blogspot.com/2011/11/thumbs-up-award.html
Citations
1) Stevens, Allison P. "Stem Cells: The Secret to Change." Science News for Kids. Science for
Society & the Public, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 May 2013.
2) "Basics of Stem Cell Research." Basics of Stem Cell Research. American Medical Association,
n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
3) "Frequently Asked Questions." What Are Adult Stem Cells? [Stem Cell Information]. N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 June 2013. <http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics4.aspx>.
4) "Understanding Mature Tissue or Organ Stem Cells and Their Clinical Application."Adult Stem
Cells. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2013.
<http://stemcell.stanford.edu/research/adult_stem_cells.html>.
5) Cyranoski, David. "Stem Cells Boom in Vet Clinics." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group,
10 Apr. 2013. Web. 05 June 2013. <http://www.nature.com/news/stem-cells-boom-in-vetclinics-1.12765>.
6) "Myths and Misconceptions About Stem Cell Research." California's Stem Cell Agency.
California's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 11 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 June 2013.
<http://www.cirm.ca.gov/about-stem-cells/myths-and-misconceptions-about-stem-cellresearch>.