Adult stem cells have great possibilities, but they do offer some disadvantages compared to other stem cells, such as embryonic. Adult stem cells only have the ability to change into their pre-programmed cell type. They do not have the uniqueness that embryonic stem cells have in the sense that embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning they have the ability to change into a variety of cell types in the body. Adult stem cells also have a more complicated process of dedifferentiation, or losing their specification, whereas embryonic stem cells are capable of undergoing a more directed differentiation. In addition, adult stem cells are usually found in small quantities in the body and, once removed, are giving scientists a harder time making new generations of cells because of the difficulty in dividing (“Stem Cell Basics”). Although adult stem cells can be used successfully, the less generalized embryonic stem cells mean more possibilities for scientists and patients.
Embryonic stem cells have a very bright outlook, one reason being that they are grown fairly easy in cell cultures compared to adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are the first differentiation of cells after fertilization. “They are not totipotent (capable of forming a new embryo), but they are pluripotent (capable of forming all other cells in the body).” These stem cells offer an array of research possibilities because they are at the earliest stage of development.
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Scientists cannot fully learn what embryonic stem cells are capable of until more has been tested. Getting treatments for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s do not happen overnight. Researchers will need to convert embryonic stem cell research into clinical research, and from there, clinical medicine. In order to reach this conversion point, a set of ethical and regulatory issues will have to be