Stem Cells in The Spotlight
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1. A stem cell is …
2. When the stem cell gets the ___________, its ____________ are activated and
____________ are produced.
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1. What does totipotent mean?
2. Is the eight cell embryo totipotent?
3. Seven days after fertilization the embryo forms a ___________ .
4. Diagram a blastocyst.
5. Which part becomes the placenta?
6. What is pluripotent?
7. After the 8th week the embryo becomes a ?
8. What does the umbilical chord contain?
9. List the 5 common types of stem cells:
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1. List three reasons why we die?
2. What is the goal of stem cell research?
3. What are the two way this MIGHT be done?
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1. What is the 5-step recipe for success?
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2. Researchers studying Parkinson's disease knew that the problem was to replace
the ______________________ with healthy cells.
3. Step 2: Finding the Right Type of Stem Cell. Which stem cell proved to be the
best candidate?
4. Our ___________ attack things they don't recognize, including cells and tissues.
5. Previous research had told them, however, that immune responses are typically
_______ in the brain compared to other areas of the body.
6. What does muted mean?
7. Surgeons placed the cells into the brains of patients by
____________________________ in the skull and injecting the cells through a
needle.
8. Was the above procedure a success for treat Parkinson’s? Explain your answer
9. Describe a common use and/or description for the following three types of procedures
used today:
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Adult Stem Cell Transplant: Bone Marrow Stem Cells
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Adult Stem Cell Transplant: Peripheral Blood Stem Cells
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Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant
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1. Researchers and physicians are working to design stem cell therapies that
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2. What are the three way that it may be possible for a person to use a sample of his or
her own stem cells to regenerate tissue, which would reduce or even eliminate the danger
of rejection.
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3. A major drawback of stem cell therapies is that, improper regulation of genes can lead
to uncontrolled ___________ and _____________.
4. This is a special concern with cells that have been cultured in the
_____________________ for a period of time, because they may regulate their genes
differently ____________________ in the body.
5. After many rounds of division in a lab dish, the surviving cells may have changed so
much that they ______________________________ in the body's normal environment.
6. They may even have permanent changes in ___________. Putting these cells back into
the body is a risky proposal, because they are conditioned to continue growing rather than
differentiating, possibly forming tumors. This is sort of like taking an animal that had
spent its entire life in captivity and returning it to the wild.
7. Would you expect the animal to know how to act in its new surroundings?
_____________________________________
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For the application of stem cell technology, we must consider the following questions.
Answer each based upon you own beliefs:
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What are the benefits?
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What are the risks?
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Does the technology have the potential to hurt anyone?
3. Although stem cell research may benefit me or my family, why might others not
share my view?
Answer the following questions with at least 5 sentences to each question.
1. How far should researchers take stem cell technologies: Just because we can
do something, should we?
2. Should the government provide funding for embryonic stem cell research:
Why or why not?
3. Should there be laws to regulate stem cell research: If so, what would they
look like? For example, how would you regulate research using different types of
stem cells, such as embryonic, fetal or adult stem cells?
4. Do embryonic stem cells represent a human life? This is an ongoing debate
that brings up the question of when life begins. Should the embryo or fetus have
any rights in the matter? Who has the authority to decide?
5. Should frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization be used to
create stem cells? Why or why not?