...What is the history of stem call research legislation in the US? How does it compare to the rest of the world? The argument for life is often one that results in two circumstances – either life will go on or life will not. Millions of families are afflicted with diseases and disorders that they would do anything in any lifetime for cures to spare their loved ones. Stem cells through argument of science can cure diseases or help heal individuals who suffer from debilitating conditions such as spinal cord injuries, strokes, heart conditions, and burns to name a few. (Reaves, 2001) The argument for stem cell research proves to be one of both moral hazard and religious conviction. (G.Fischbach, 2004) On the moral side, the idea to use terminated pregnancies in order for gain or just their cells is unfathomable. The religious conviction is that individuals who terminated their pregnancies because of the assumed small value they placed on human life only made these cells available. However, these cells before they form human life are cells that have not generated into existing diseases or degenerative conditions. (NIH, 2009) Stem Cell research can be looked at in many ways, but it personally should be viewed a progression to better lives ruined by diseases and catastrophe, not regression and immoral in the eyes of deities and those superior. In the U.S. states funding for stem cell research was prominent in early part of the 21st century by both members...
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...Is Stem Cell Research Ethical? Reginald Lawrence Is it ethical for stem cells for the advancement of medical research? In the 1800s it was discovered certain cells could generate other cells. The 1900s brought upon more research in using stem cells. The ethical issue surrounding embryonic stem cells research arises because human embryos are destroyed in the process. I believe that the benefits outweigh the negatives and that a greater good can come out of using embryonic stem cells. The treatment of diseases and illnesses continually grows and improves. Embryonic stem cells have the potential to help rectify or even cure disease and illnesses that are thought to be incurable. However, the ethical battle over the sanctity of life rages on. Stem cells can be compared to the building blocks of the human body. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, they can develop into any other type of cell in the body. They are extracted from a cell before they differentiate. They have the capacity to make any of the 200 different cells in the body and can also self-renew or reproduce themselves. Currently, there are 89 stem cell lines, a family of constantly dividing cells, registered with the National Institute of Health (NIH). The first line was discovered in 1998. In 1996 Congress passed the Dickey-Wicker Amendment, which put restrictions on federally funding embryonic stem cell research if the embryo was created to be destroyed. In 2001, President Bush implemented guidelines to...
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...just to humans but is actually all around us. It exists in nature, animals and humans. Cloning is defined as the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing human or growing cloned tissue from that individual. This term is generally used to refer to artificial cloning; human clones in the form of identical twins are commonplace, with their cloning occurring during the natural process of reproduction. “Human cloning is the asexual production of a human being whose genetic makeup is nearly identical to that of a currently or previously existing individual” (Chesire et al., 2003, p. 1010). To be successful with cloning, scientists utilize and create “generic” cells that that have the ability to make exact duplicates or copies of themselves indefinitely. This process is known as “stem cell research.” Stem cells are a key element of the different types of cloning and will impact advances in helping to cure many different types of diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, and cancer. Before we can discuss this, I need to explain the different types of cloning. Cloning for the most part, as we know it, began on July 5, 1996 with a sheep named “Dolly.” The creation of Dolly was accomplished after many failed and aborted attempts. Dolly came about by agricultural research scientists who were tasked and funded to create the “perfect sheep.” The reason behind the experiment was to...
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...Stem cell A stem cell is essentially a “blank” cell, capable of becoming another more differentiated cell type in the body, such as a skin cell, a muscle cell, or a nerve cell. Microscopic in size, stem cells are big news in medical and science circles because they can be used to replace or even heal damaged tissues and cells in the body. They can serve as a built-in repair system for the human body, replenishing other cells as long as a person is still alive. Adult stem cells are a “natural” solution. They naturally exist in our bodies, and they provide a natural repair mechanism for many tissues of our bodies. They belong in the microenvironment of an adult body, while embryonic stem cells belong in the microenvironment of the early embryo, not in an adult body, where they tend to cause tumors and immune system reactions. Most importantly, adult stem cells have already been successfully used in human therapies for many years. As of this moment, no therapies in humans have ever been successfully carried out using embryonic stem cells. New therapies using adult type stem cells, on the other hand, are being developed all the time. Significance of the Study Stem cell therapy is a potential treatment for spinal cord injury and different stem cell types has been grafted into animal models and humans suffering from spinal trauma. Due to inconsistent results, it is still an important and clinically relevant question which stem cell type will prove to be therapeutically effective...
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...Charli Davis Donna Folmar Med Law 101 May 7, 2012 Researchers believe that stem cells hold the key to incurable diseases such as, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes and many others. The benefits of stem cell research have such a great outcome that it out weighs the ethical issues at hand (In Stem Cell Information. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,2012). Pro’s Critics against stem cell research argue, that the ethical issues do not justify the benefits, that a life is a life and that should never be compromised (The real Promise of Stem Cell Research, Dr. David Prentice: HeathDigestNews.com).What these critics do not understand, is that, in the future stem cell research can allow scientists to test a number of drugs and medicines with out carrying out tests on humans and animals. The drug can be tested on a population of cells directly (stem cells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines.html). Funding President Bush announced federal funding for stem cell research in August 2001, six years later in 2007 a banned had been placed on the funding bringing most researchers to a hault. In March of 2009, President Barack Obama, lifted the ban on federal funding for stem cell research (www.action bioscience.org/biotech/chapman.html,2011). Many critics that are against stem cell research became angry that their tax dollars where going towards funding for something they thought unethical. If the researchers...
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...FALFA11 Sec E The history of Stem Cell Research Legislation in the United States Adult stem cell research on humans began in the 1960's, first achieving success in the treatment of a patient with severe combined immunodeficiency disorder in 1968. Since the early 1970's, adult stem cells have been successfully used for treatment of immunodeficiency and leukemia. Many are in support of the scope, nature, necessity and urgency of stem cell research. If the possibility is there to preserve life and cure diseases such as Cancer, Leukemia, Heart Disease AIDS/HIV, the United States Federal Government should issue more funds towards stem cell research. Those very same people that are against stem cell research may someday find themselves in dire need stem cells to save their lives. A German AIDS patient was able to stop drugs he had been taking for 10 years after getting a transplant of stem cells from a donor with a rare gene variant known to resist the deadly disease. The transplant also cured his leukemia, researchers reported. Embryonic stem cell research does not appear to be ethical and it seems as if a life is being taken in the process. One can’t help but pose the question, “when do the actual stages of life begin”? A Blastocyst is a thin-walled hollow structure in early embryonic development that contains a cluster of cells called the inner cell mass from which the embryo arises. The outer layer of cells gives rise to the placenta and other supporting tissues needed for...
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... Stem cell therapy Irfan manzoor. Roll no: RP7002B22. Reg. no: 11000225. Course: Bsc. Biotech 1. Lovely professional university Contents 1. Stem cells and properties. 2-3 2. Stem cell therapy. 5-12 3. Stem cell use in animals 13-15 4. Recent researches in stem cell therapy 16-19 5. Conclusion 21 6. Bibliography 22 Stem cells Stem cells are cells found in all multi cellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types. Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till at the University of Toronto in the 1960s. The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are: embryonic stem cells that are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells that are found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate...
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...-Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell. I think by using Stem Cells to cure a disease is a good thing and that the research should continue. -Stem cells are distinguished from other cell types by two important characteristics. First, they are unspecialized cells capable of renewing themselves through cell division, sometimes after long periods of inactivity. Second, under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions. In some organs, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to repair and replace worn out or damaged tissues. In other organs, however, such as the pancreas and the heart, stem cells only divide under special conditions. Embryonic stem cells can become all cell types of the body because they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells are thought to be limited to differentiating into different cell types of their tissue of origin. "This is not about red states and blue states. This is not about...
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...Project The Birth of an Alternative: Using Umbilical Cord Stem Cells to Improve Stem Cell Research Stem cells are intriguing. They are so dynamic, so puzzling, and they contain many of biology’s deepest mysteries. Generally, cellular stemness is characterized by a cell’s self-renewal and potency, the ability to differentiate into specific cell types. In reality though, the science of stem cells goes beyond these distinctions. From studying human development to creating new therapeutic alternatives for diseases, embryonic stem cell (ESC) research promises numerous benefits as it has progressed extensively in the past decade. But because of the ethical issues surrounding the destruction of human embryos, other alternatives have had to be found. So far, adult stem cells (ASCs) have been used for therapeutic purposes such as bone marrow transplants. However, donor DNA-matching has been an enduring problem with this approach. A few years ago, Shinya Yamanaka discovered induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which derives pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells, thereby overcoming both ethical and donormatching issues. Although iPSC presents much promise, the newness of this technology makes it inadequate for immediate use. Now, newer discoveries have been made. Aside from ESCs, ASCs, and iPSCs, stem cells have also been found in postnatal tissue, particularly in the umbilical cord. These umbilical cordderived stem cells have been proposed to treat illnesses ranging from Parkinsonism...
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...Stem Cell Research Stem cells are generic cells that can make exact duplicates of themselves indefinitely and can be used to form specialized cells of each tissue type. They are the foundation for every cell in the body. Stem cells are unique because they can self-sustain and replicate themselves. Scientists have found that stem cells can be programmed to perform many special functions in a body. There are two main types of stem cells that scientists have found to be the most promising in the reproduction of tissues. They are adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can be found in the earliest stages of fetuses. Embryonic stem cells are unique because they can be programmed to be any kind of cell in the body. Embryonic research has been experimented much more on mice. There have been no proven tests on human embryonic cells. Adult stem cells are not as much of a heated debate as embryonic stem cells are. “The use of ESC’s (embryonic stem cells) is unacceptable to some people because they can only be harvested from embryos that are destroyed in the process” (Aldhous, Reich). Embryonic stem cells have to be taken from an unborn fetus, while adult stem cells can be acquired from a fully developed being. From the highest political viewpoint embryonic stem cell research is not looked upon with fondness. The Bush administration shut down all government funding of embryonic stem cell research. Adult stem cells, also referred to as multi-potent cells...
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...Radiation Effects at the Tissue and Organ Level * Response to irradiation- measures the radiosensitivity of tissue or organ * Loss of moderate number of cells- does not affect function of organs * Loss of large number of cells- display clinical result * Severity of change depends on dose and thus amount of cell loss * Repairable damage- moderate dose to localized area * Death from damage to most sensitive system- comparable dose to whole organism Short- Term Effects * Sensitivity of parenchymal cell- determines short term effect of radiation on a tissue * Lost cells in mitosis- linked death- when continuously proliferating tissues (e.g bone marrow, oral mucous membrane) are irradiated with a moderate dose * Extent of cell loss depends on damage to stem cell pools and proliferative rate of cell population * Reduction in number of mature cells- effect of irradiation to such tissues * Little or no radiation-induced hypoplasia- when tissues composed of cells that rarely or never divide (e.g muscle) are irradiated Long- Term Effects * Damage to fine vasculature- determines long-term effect of radiation on tissue or organ * Radio sensitivity of capillaries and connective tissues- differentiating intermiotic cells and reverting postmiotic cells * Irradiation of capillaries- swelling, degeneration, necrosis * Increases capillary permeability and slow progressive fibrosis around vessels * Increased...
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...Stem cell research is one that is widely debated amongst various religions, cultures, and political groups. The question as to when life actually begins is the epicenter of this worldwide quarrel, and may not be settled for some time. Although this may be true, one fact that cannot be denied is that stem cell research has led to many life saving discoveries in various sectors of scientific research. In regards to the ethical dilemma of stem cells, recent developments in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have made it possible to explore the applications of stem cells while avoiding the ethical problems associated with embryonic stem cell research (Seki & Fekuda, 2015). One intriguing area in stem cell research is the potential applications for them in the treatment of cardiac diseases. Studies have explored the potential uses for stem cells for the treatment of heart disease (Yamakawa & Ieda, 2015). Additionally, stem cells have been explored for the treatment of heart failure and myocardial infarction (Rasmussen, et al., 2013). Stem cells and how they may be used for the treatment of various cardiac diseases is an exciting topic and has the potential to change future approaches to the treatment. This paper will examine the applications and significance of stem cells in relation to these common cardiac pathologies. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries and currently there are few effective treatment options available (Yamakawa & Ieda...
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...Cancer Stem Cells: Distinct Entities or Dynamically Regulated Phenotypes? Yunqing Li and John Laterra Cancer Res 2012;72:576-580. Updated version Access the most recent version of this article at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/3/576 Cited Articles Citing articles This article cites by 32 articles, 10 of which you can access for free at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/3/576.full.html#ref-list-1 This article has been cited by 2 HighWire-hosted articles. Access the articles at: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/72/3/576.full.html#related-urls E-mail alerts Reprints and Subscriptions Permissions Sign up to receive free email-alerts related to this article or journal. To order reprints of this article or to subscribe to the journal, contact the AACR Publications Department at pubs@aacr.org. To request permission to re-use all or part of this article, contact the AACR Publications Department at permissions@aacr.org. Downloaded from cancerres.aacrjournals.org on February 1, 2014. © 2012 American Association for Cancer Research. Review Cancer Research Cancer Stem Cells: Distinct Entities or Dynamically Regulated Phenotypes? Yunqing Li1,2 and John Laterra1,2,3,4 Abstract The origins of tumor-propagating neoplastic stem-like cells [cancer stem cells (CSC)] and their relationship to the bulk population of tumor cells that lack stem-like tumor-propagating features (i.e., transit-amplifying cancer progenitor cells) remain...
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...B) Stem cells. A relative of a friend of yours had a spinal cord injury after a bad car accident. The medical team has decided that this patient is a good candidate for a clinical trial using stem cell therapy. Your friend has not had a biology course since high school, so you are going to write for him or her a two-page discussion of stem cell information. In your discussion, include a description of the biology of stem cells, and explain how these cells are unique in their ability to treat diseases and injury. The following website from NIH regarding stem cell research will be very helpful: http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp. Before we determine how stem cells can treat various diseases including spinal cord injuries, let us first understand the root of a spinal cord injury. The spinal cord is an extension of the central nervous system that establishes a structural connection between the brain and the other structures of the body (e.g., arms and legs, bowel, bladder) through nerve fibers. A clear fluid called Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) that acts as a cushion to protect the delicate nerve tissues against damage from banging against the inside of the vertebrae surrounds the spinal cord. The vertebrae is made up of thirty-three bones, each with a circular opening similar to the hole in a donut. (“Spinal Cord Injury: Hope Through Research" NINDS. Publication date August 2003) The central nervous system is organized in a way that allows certain parts of the spinal cord...
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...Research paper on Stem Cell Research Legislation and the related legal issues: What is the history of Stem Cell Research Legislation in the United States? How does it compare to comparable statutes in the rest of the world? In this paper talk about what the current legislative state of affairs is and where the law on stem cells in the United States should go in the future and why. Make sure you use ample research and cited sources to support your arguments but make sure to state your own opinion on the issues as well. Stem Cell Research TJ AS OF: 2/4/2009--Introduced. Stem Cell Research Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo. Limits such research to stem cells that meet the following requirements: (1) the stem cells were derived from human embryos donated from in vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment; (2) prior to donation, it was determined that the embryos would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded; and (3) the individuals seeking fertility treatment donated the embryos with written informed consent and received no financial or other inducements. Requires the Director of the National Institutes of...
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