Introduction Stem cell research, the exploration of using stem cells to help heal ailments and maladies in humans, has been a large topic in medical research and one that has been researched for years. Even though stem cells can be used to benefit humankind, the use of stem cells and the way they are gathered is questionably controversial to some. There has been debate over whether stem cell research is ethical or moral.
1.1 Stem Cell Description and Types Stem cells can be defined as unspecialized cells that have the ability to renew themselves and divide without a limit to replenish lost cells (“Stem Cells”). As seen in Figure 1, stem cells also have the potential to change into many different types of tissue in the body such as that of the ectoderm, mesoderm or endoderm. When a stem cell divides, it has the potential to stay a stem cell or it can differentiate to become a more specialized cell such as a red blood cell, intestinal cell or a
…show more content…
For the human body to function properly, all differentiated cells and tissues must work together. Should cells or tissues be damaged or die, the body must be able to replace them in order to continue in smooth operation. If the body is not able to replace the cells properly and efficiently, it can lead to severe injury or death. Therefore, one of the largest topics in the medical research is a way to find cells that can replace lost ones and work successfully for a long time in the future (“Stem Cells”). With the success of stem cell research and stem cell therapy, many diseases such as type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, certain cancers and spinal cord injury have been cured in patients. As seen in Figure 2, successful stem cell therapy can potentially be used to cure multiple diseases that affect humans