Josh Husen
stem cell benefits
April 2011
period 1
Introduction
The medical field is a great technology to the world that is ever increasing. With more people on the Earth it is increasing more rapidly as well. We all know human health is a big issue and it must be dealt with to save and better the lives of mankind. One part of the body specifically is so delicately put together that even the slightest alteration can cause problems. This would be the nervous system. More importantly the neurons or nerve cells which make up the nervous system. But with breakthroughs in the medical sciences, there is now a possible lead to curing some of the nervous disorders and problems. This breakthrough is stem cells.
Findings
In order to understand why stem cells could even come into play you need to understand the nervous system itself. It consists of two main areas, the central nervous system which includes the brain and the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system which is all places that send and receive information to and from the brain and spinal cord. (Postlewait, 2008 pg. 1006) How the nervous system transmits information is a very complex process by which chemical and electrical signals are sent cell to cell by reversing polarization of the membrane of the cell and then transferring the signal to the next cell. The energy gained for this process comes from the ion polarization changing across the cells membrane. The polarization of the ions is only briefly switched causing the electrical charge to flow through the neuron.(Postlewait, 2008 pg. 1007) With all the switching of ions happening and flowing of electrical currents, there is much room for error and even if changed slightly can cause a disorder or problem. Luckily the body has several processes to stop the polarization from getting out of hand. The currents flow on two different pathways to and from the cell so no currents pass through each other.
With all of these precise signals in your body, it is nice to know that you can have a backup in case any of your neural cells are ever harmed, damaged or in some way mutated. Recent studies are now starting to unveil new possibilities for a so called backup plan in case a mistake does occur. This process is called stem cell therapy. It is when doctors implant stem cells into parts of your body that may need extra cells. (Wichterle, 2010 1)Neural stem cells may be able to help with this. They have been found in the adult brain recently. (Gage, 2000 1)This process will hopefully someday help to cure diseases in the spinal cord and muscles. (Ebert, 2008 1)
Well, you need to know the difference between a stem cell and just any old regular cell. Stem cells are specialized cells that can differentiate or reproduce to make different kinds of cells. (Anonymous, 2009 2) They also can replace a damaged or killed cell very quickly and can reproduce almost indefinitely as long as the organism is still alive. (Anonymous, 2009 1) Of course with these discovered cells, the possibilities become endless as far as curing nervous disorders and cancers that may appear in ones body.(Politi, 2007 1) It seems simple, all you would have to do is remove the abnormal cells and implant stem cells which could reproduce and fix the problem quickly. Now, neural stem cells are not the only ones in the stem cell category. Many are extracted before or at birth, and that would be embryonic stem cells. Another type of stem cell that comes from the bones is bone marrow stem cells which are also being used to look for future problem solving techniques. (Phinney, 2007 1) Not all stem cells are good however. Cancer stem cells reproduce very quickly as do regular stem cells and cause harm to the body.
But how were these miraculous cells discovered. Like many other great discoveries that have to do with organisms' bodies, it was not discovered on a human first. Stem cells were discovered fairly recently, in about 1998. (Anonymous, 2009 3) However it was not just discovered from looking at human cells. They were found in mice.( Bhatia, 1998 1) And the fascinating characteristics sparked more research in humans and since have also been found in many other organisms as well. Whether ethical or not, testing does occur on animals such as mice and has led to other fascinating discoveries along with stem cells having to do with psychology and mannerisms. After these repopulating cells (as they were first called) were found scientists began researching them in humans. (Bhatia, 1998, 2)
Not only do stem cells reproduce quickly. But what truly sets them apart from the rest is their ability to differentiate into different types of cells. For example, a neural cell with a specific purpose can only reproduce that same purpose cell. But with a neural stem cell if the body loses or for some reason needs a special purpose neural cell, then the stem cell can differentiate into that cell and still have the capability to reproduce into other cells. (Clarke, 2003 1) Now how this process, especially in the adult body, exactly works is still something even scientists do not understand but is a main point of interest for the future. (Clarke, 2003, 3) The reason why it is important to understand these things is so we can learn to extract these cells and if necessary place them in ones body for a natural, self repairing treatment to a disease or acquired problem. Someday, hopefully a steady process can be learned for stem cell therapy and we won’t have to worry so much about a lack of cells or a portion of damaged cells.
Many people today are now saving parts of the umbilical cord when their baby is born because scientists have figured out that this is an abundant place to find stem cells.( Waldby , 2006 1) Maybe not so much for neural stem cells, because those are found in adults as well, ( Clarke, 2003 2 ) but embryonic cells are saved to possibly be implanted in the heart where the cells need to be very enduring because of their constant need to pump blood. ( Quiones-Hinojosa, 2006 3) This umbilical cord saving is no cheap process however, and can cost thousands of dollars to preserve. When this was barely starting to be done, there were many private banks opening up places to preserve these body parts. But with the receding economy the government has cut down on the private preserving business and now leaves it to the hospitals. (Waldby, 2006, 2)
Along with the technological issues, there becomes the issue of ethics.(Weissman, 2002 1) Of course everyone is very tolerable of medicines now days mainly because they have been around for a very long time. But with stem cells it is up to the consumer to decide whether testing on animals is acceptable if it is to someday greater the health of humans. Some might argue it is not right to change someone’s body because they should be accepted for who they are no matter what the case is. But you also have to consider the fact that it is something that in the future could help to cure or lesson disorders of not only the nervous system but also the heart and other parts of the body as well. Of course as said before this issue of ethics is to be determined by individuals and no one is to say which side is the correct one.
But the decision of whether research can be done or whether processes can be used is not all decided by the public. The government does issue certain laws that limit or prohibit research to be done. (Payne, 2010, 1) For example, with the growing research in early development of stem cells more discoveries are being made about how these cells differentiate into sperm and egg cells. This research could lead to a violation of reproductive rights and the government may step in.( Payne, 2010 2 ) The point is, that the medical field is a great technology that is endlessly growing and the laws of the government have to struggle to keep up with this field and continue making laws current. Political debates happened when Bush was in office about embryonic stem cell research and was more of a debate between conservatives and the non.( Smith, 2010 1 ) Even politicians can bring in personal ideas and the ideals of their religion even though they are supposed to represent our entire country. The true policy today is really not fully in writing or decided because debates have not gotten to a conclusion. (Weissman, 2002, 2)
But where do these laws leave us as far as stem cell therapy goes. There is no law that prevents the therapy from happening but the real problem is the lack of knowledge about the subject. No one can truly gauge how long it will take before doctors can implant stem cells with little difficulty. However, we have an idea of what needs to be learned and tested before this process can become one of ease. Surely, much will be learned in the near future having to do with how stem cells are able to differentiate into different purpose serving cells as well as how this can be used to repair damaged cells and replace bad ones. One difficulty that could affect the time it takes to fully understand these cells is the suffering economy. It is no secret that the USA is in a deep recession and that has taken a big toll on the medical field’s research funding from the government. But signs are pointing towards better times and a better economy in America and hopefully within the next ten years the United States can get back on top of the list for medical research, procedures and discoveries alike.
There is a reason why still stem cells are not fully understood. Even the greatest scientific minds of the medical world have not been able to decipher the code of the way that they work. Now there are reasonable explanations for this. One problem is that we can’t just go around removing people’s cells just to see if any stem cells are located there. And even though it is possible to remove cells, there are human rights that protect them from anything of this sort being done. So researchers are limited in finding them and can only get them mainly from animals. (Mazzini, 2003 1) Now once you get them it doesn’t make the process so much easier. Stem cells obviously have a complex way of dividing into other cells and it is hard to find out how that process works when the cells are limited and not to mention the size of the cells would result in all testing being done under a high powered microscope or synthetically on a computer.
Conclusion
But stem cells will surely be like anything else. It starts off an unknown great idea and soon after becomes something unconscious that’s not even considered anymore. History repeats itself and this has happened with many great discoveries and procedures including things such as automobiles and surgery. Think about the complex idea of surgery many years ago. It was something that was extremely risky because of the unknowns and the lack of proper instruments. But now it is part of life and something that happens everyday. With cars alike it is the same story Many people did not use cars because they were cutting edge and expensive. Stem cell therapy has both the expensive and unknown aspect and is why it is not yet a worldwide thing. Cars and surgery both went through the same process when they were first being used and have advanced over time to become what they are today. With time the whole idea of stem cells will evolve as others have and become a great medical advancement for the world.