The Power of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
By Alianza C.
STEM has long been responsible for revolutionary innovations that have left remarkable impacts on the world, and now it has the power to drastically change the way diseases are treated.
The research into embryonic stem cells has seen ground-breaking innovations. Embryonic stems cells are stem cells that are derived from embryos that develop from fertilized eggs. Many times, these eggs are fertilized in a vitro fertilization clinic before they are donated for important medical research. Through this research, solutions can be found for some of the most debilitating diseases.
Embryonic stem cells have many unique capabilities that make them ideal for medical studies. Stem cells are cells that can develop into a variety of cell types. These cells have the unique ability to unlimitedly divide so that each resulting daughter cell can either continue being a stem cell or become another type of cell with a specialized function (i.e. brain cells). Embryonic stem cells make it easier to analyze cells’ development since they come directly from embryos. Researching embryonic stem cells not only gives scientists a better understanding of cell development, but this understanding can possibly allow them to correct errors that cause medical conditions such as cancer that form during stem cells’ transformation into specialized cells.
Embryonic stem cell research also can be used to create medical therapies. Pluripotent stem cells—stem cells that can produce any type of cell in the body except for germ cells—can pose as a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues for the purpose of treating diseases and disabilities. Through these cells, diseases and conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis can be treated. These treatments can positively influence the lives of millions of people worldwide.
Embryonic stem cell research can revolutionize medical science. Through its research, many of the diseases and conditions that we deal with today will be nonexistent in the future.
