composition

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C. C.

Irvin

CO150.30

21 November 2014

Assignment 4

Embryonic stem cell have been widely debated in science ever since they were first

discovered. This new technology can offer advantages in improving healthcare, yet there are

still people concerned about safety or moral issues. These issues can be solved as the research

is continued though. Also, the therapies embryonic stem cells can provide will be beneficial to

almost everyone because of the wide variety of treatments they can make. Researchers should

be allowed to study embryonic stem cells to improve the quality of life for people suffering with

heath complications.

One reason why embryonic stem cells should be researched is because they can be used

to create cell replication therapies. These therapies will cure or help with diseases such as

diabetes, Parkinson’s, arthritis, stroke, heart failure, spinal cord lesions, along with many others

(De Wert and Mummery 673). These cell replication therapies are already starting to show

impressive results. In one study, people who had suffered from a severe stroke were given a

stem cell therapy. This therapy allowed the patients to have better mobility and better

performance in everyday tasks they previously couldn’t perform. The people overall had a 40%

improvement in quality of life and 20% improvement in disability and handicap (Coghlan).

Besides just improving quality of life, embryonic stem cells have the potential to save lives.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States today and the number of

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people with diabetes is continuing to grow. With tens of thousands of people dying of diabetes

every year, embryonic stem cells could help cure and save many of these people by turning the

embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells. These cells could then be implanted into a

diabetic patient and most likely cure their diabetes (Stem Cell). These are only some of the

many applications of embryonic stem cells or cell replication therapies. The longer embryonic

stem cells are researched the more therapies will be made helping many people with otherwise

incurable health complications.

Another reason embryonic stem cells should be researched is because trying to find an

organ donor is very difficult and many times a donor is not found fast enough. Instead of

waiting for a donor and then having the risk of tissue rejection, embryonic stem cells can

potentially be used in the future to grow an organ that would be a match for the patient. One

application of this therapeutic cloning can be used to help with heart failure. Cardiovascular

diseases are the number one cause of death in America. Transplantation is the best cure,

unfortunately that is dependent on the number of donated organs. Receiving a transplant is

very dangerous even if a donor is found. Then, if the transplant is successful, the patient would

require anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their lives. These drugs would lower the immune

system in the person and put them at risk for infection and bleeding. Embryonic stem cells

could help to solve all of these problems. Embryonic stem cells could possibly be used to grow a

new heart valve or even a whole heart any time a person was in need of a transplant. The heart

could also be grown to be a match for the patient therefore lowering the chances of tissue

rejection (Gerecht, et al 313-314). The transplanted organ would have the same nucleus as the

recipient because induced pluripotent stem cell can be taken from the patient and incorporated

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into the embryonic stem cells. Because of this, the need for anti-rejection drugs would diminish

and the person could lead a much easier life. Since embryonic stem cells have the ability to turn

into any kind of tissue, therapeutic cloning could potentially be used to repair almost any kind

of damaged tissue in the body, which will save millions of lives.

Studying embryonic stem cells can also help to understand the development of fetuses.

They can help understand why women have miscarriages and what effects new drugs will have

on the fetus if the mom takes them (De Wert and Mummery 673). Since the ES cells are made

by in vitro fertilization, the researchers are able to watch the egg and sperm combine under a

microscope. Then, as the cells divide and make more cells they can observe the progression.

This gives researchers the ability to understand how the cells are acting at the first moments of

conception and the days following. Researchers can also see how the DNA from the mom and

dad are mixed together. There is no way of seeing this when the egg and sperm are meeting

inside of the woman. Before they could only see what was happening through an ultrasound

but now they can observe the development under a microscope (Reijo Pera). This research is all

still new but scientists are excited about the potential benefits. They say studying the early

stages of the embryos will help make healthier babies and prevent birth defects. One person

working on this research is Dr. Reijo Pera, she says, “This a very exciting time for studies in

human developmental genetics. Women, in particular, should care about stem cell biology

because of the incredible impact it may have on reproductive health, pregnancy and assisted

fertility.”

One reason people are against embryonic stem cell research is because they are

concerned about how eggs are obtained to make the embryonic stem cells. According to De

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Wert and Mummery a stockpile of millions of eggs would be required to do all the research

needed (678). The public does not like the idea of obtaining eggs from a woman’s ovaries just

for the purpose of research because it may cause her harm and provide no benefit to herself.

First, she would need hormone treatments, which can be hard on her. Then, after the hormone

treatments, a procedure would be done to retrieve the eggs which may cause the woman more

harm. Obtaining all the eggs in this way is unrealistic and would not be ethical but this is a hasty

generalization because there are alternate ways to obtain eggs which would cause no woman

harm. For example, hysterectomies are the second most common surgery in the U.S. for

women. About 600,000 are performed in the U.S. each year (Hysterectomy). These surgeries

are done for the health benefit of the woman but after the surgery is done the woman could

donate the eggs from the removed ovaries to the research. Another solution could be if a

woman passes away and is an organ donor, the eggs could be removed and also donated to

research (De Wert and Mummery 678). These alternative sources of eggs would be enough to

meet the needs of the researchers. No woman would be harmed in these ways of obtaining

eggs and the eggs would go towards saving lives.

Another worry that people have against embryonic stem cell research have is how the

stem cells will act when implanted into a person. They are afraid about how the cells will

multiply and possibly cause cancer. They also are concerned that when implanted the cells will

turn into the wrong sort of tissue because embryonic cells can turn into any kind of tissue.

These are all valid concerns but just like any kind of new medicine or treatment there are

problems that need to be overcome before they can be widely used. For example, blood

transfusions are performed regularly today to save lives. However, in the 1600s when blood

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circulation was first being researched on animals, people were concerned that transferring

blood would cause the animal to change species (Ruel). We now know that would not happen,

but just as we are afraid of how embryonic stem cells will grow, they were scared of how blood

would be transferred. Also, in the few trials that have been conducted, such as the one for

stroke patients, these issues were not a problem because of the trials on animals that were

conducted before human practice. ES cells will still need to be researched to make sure they

won’t cause harm as a treatment but we should not stop studying them just because we are

scared of what they will do.

Many religious groups are against embryonic stem cell research because they consider it

to be immoral and a destruction of life. They believe life starts the moment sperm and egg

meet. They also believe the embryonic stem cells should have the same rights as any human

does because if given the right circumstances they have the ability to become a human.

Because of these reasons, the Vatican is against any embryonic stem cell research. Even though

they are against ES cell research, they are for the research of alternative stem cells, such as

induced pluripotent stem cell (Neumann). These induced pluripotent stem cell may be able to

replace embryonic stem cells in the future but as mentioned above they are being used

alongside embryonic stem cells to create treatments now. They aren’t able to replace

embryonic stem cells because, as of now, induced pluripotent stem cell do not behave in the

same way embryonic stem cells do. In order to make induced pluripotent stem cells the same

as embryonic stem cells researchers will need to continue studying embryonic stem cells in

order to understand them better (Hadenfeld et al). So, if the church wants the benefits induced

pluripotent stem cells may provide then they must allow embryonic stem cells to be studied

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until researchers can make induced pluripotent stem cells behave as embryonic stem cells

(Hadenfeld et al).

Through the continued research of embryonic stem cells, therapies are likely to develop

that are safe and effective. These treatments, when fully developed, will most likely become

common treatments for many diseases that were incurable before. Embryonic stem cells

should be studied in order to better people’s lives.

I have not given, received, or used any unauthorized assistance.

Work Cited

Coghlan, Andy. "First Stem Cell Trial for Stroke Shows Lasting Benefits."NewScientist - Health.

N.p., 9 May 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

De Wert, Guido, and Mummery, Christine. "Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Research, Ethics and

Policy." Oxford Journals 18.4 (2003): 672-82. Google scholar. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Gardner, Amanda. "Most Americans Back Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Poll." US News.

U.S.News & World Report, 7 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Gerecht, Sharon, Robert Davis, Marc Zaruba, Wolfgang-M Franz, and Oseph Itskovitz-Eldor.

"Human Embryonic Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Repair." Oxford Journals 1 May 2003:

313-23. Google Scholar. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

<http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/content/58/2/313>.

Hadenfeld, Manal, Michael Pietz, Annette Pusch, and Oliver Brustle. "IPS Cells and

Reprogramming: Turn Any Cell of the Body into a Stem Cell."EuroStemCell. N.p., 14 Dec.

2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

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"Hysterectomy." National Women's Health Network. NWHN, 2005. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

Murnaghan, Ian. "Concerns about Stem Cells." Concerns about Stem Cells. N.p., Sept. 2014.

Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Neumann, Ann. "The Vatican's New Clothes: Very Small Embryonic-Like Cells and Faith in

Evidence Not Seen." Religion Politics. 25 Sept. 2013. Google Scholar. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

Reijo Pera, Rene. "Implications Of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research On Women’s

Health." Stanford Hospital. SHL Library, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

Ruel, Julie. "The Early History of Blood Transfusions." Hemoblogin. Stanford School of Medicine,

25 Aug. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.

Snead, Carter O. "The Law and Politics of Embryo Research In America." Human Reproduction &

Genetic Ethics 17.1 (2011): 40-52. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

"Stem Cell Research." American Diabetes Association., 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.