Introduction
During the early years of development, many babies are born with a few cells in their brain, spinal cord, and elsewhere that could be used to help cure diseases. These stem cells are called human embryonic stem (hES) cells. The Stem Cell Research Act expressly prohibits hES cell research that destroys or harms a human embryo.
Who are Stem Cell Researchers?
Stem cell researchers are a group of people interested in helping cure diseases and saving lives. Stem cell researchers use stem cells to find cures for cancer, Parkinson’s, diabetes, and many other conditions. Researchers that work on stem cells help people with these diseases. Stem cell research is a type of medical research that addresses critical questions about how our bodies maintain their tissue as it divides into new cells and how diseases such as cancer begin and advance inside our bodies.
Researchers use various tools in their experiments. Scientists begin by examining embryos donated from IVF clinics that produce spare seeds from in vitro fertilization procedures.
Significance of Stem Cell Researchers
Scientists have abundant knowledge about the human body and can use it to discover cures and treatments for diseases. Researchers hope that they can find more drugs and medicines by growing stem cells that have been used in other people’s bodies.
What’s Being Prohibited
Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2009 prohibits research that destroys or harms embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF), which involves combining egg and sperm to create new human beings. Scientists cannot use embryonic stem cells as a source of treatment for damaged or diseased tissue.
Scientists say these stem cell research methods add value to their labors by advancing knowledge about embryonic development. Moreover, this ban has discouraged them from expanding their job to investigate the potential of embryonic stem cells to treat diseases.
Stem Cell Research using Embryonic Cells to Cure Diseases
Science has already helped several people with diseases and ailments, making the world a better place for people to live. If scientists are allowed to use stem cells to cure many diseases, then this will help other people live longer. People believe that researchers will discover cures and treatments for some of the world’s most devastating diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, using embryonic stem cells.
Stem cell researchers feel they should be allowed to research embryonic stem cells because they could potentially find treatments and cures for various diseases. In addition, these research types may lead them to more promising therapies as these cells can develop into any tissue.
Conclusion
Scientists already have paved various ways to study the body cells and try to find cures for diseases and ailments that affect people. By restricting this type of research, researchers are hurting their productivity and the amount of knowledge they gain through stem cell research. People who believe in embryonic stem cells think they should be allowed to research because they have not yet been proven wrong. Moreover, people believe that if these researchers cannot prove the adverse effects of stem cells, people will accept them as a new way to treat several diseases.
FAQs
Q1: Are stem cell embryos being destroyed?
A1: No. Stem cells are not destroyed. Stem cell research will continue, but funding will be stopped immediately (pending legislation).
Q2: What diseases could be cured using embryonic stem cells?
A2: Several diseases can be healed with the use of embryonic stem cells. Some of these include Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and diabetes, and cancer.
Q3: What is the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act?
A3: The law prohibits human embryos from undergoing experimentation with federal funds. This act also prohibits any federal agency from creating or destroying human embryos for research purposes.
Q4: Are there any approved treatments using embryonic stem cells?
A4: Yes. Some of the treatments approved by the FDA and are currently being used include Amgen's Provenge, an immunotherapy for prostate cancer, and Genzyme's Rituxan, a drug used to fight cancer cells in leukemia patients. Pfizer Inc. is conducting other tests on stem cell research to build scar tissue for coronary defects in hearts.
Q5: How does stem cell research benefit people?
A5: By using stem cells, scientists can find a cure for more diseases. Stem cell research uses naive cells from the embryo or new born baby, which can be preserved for numerous years. These cells are efficient in treating life-threatening diseases as they can be transformed into various specialized cells such as heart cells, nerve cells, brain cells, blood cells, etc. They are then implanted into the patient’s body to cure diseases
