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Every human being begins as a single cell. This cell is called a zygote, or a fertilized egg. After then, the zygote splits into two cells, four cells, and so on. The cells eventually start to differentiate, taking on a specific function in a certain portion of the body. Differentiation is the term for this process. Hence, as an evolving society, science always makes its way in creating progress and stem cell research technology is one of the major advancements especially in the field of biomedicine. Whereas, Stem cell technology provides a potential remedy in treating human suffering brought on by the ravages of fatal diseases, serious health conditions and even severe injuries.
Every human being begins as a single cell. This cell is called a zygote, or a fertilized egg. After then, the zygote splits into two cells, four cells, and so on. The cells eventually start to differentiate, taking on a specific function in a certain portion of the body. Differentiation is the term for this process. Hence, as an evolving society, science always makes its way in creating progress and stem cell research technology is one of the major advancements especially in the field of biomedicine. Whereas, Stem cell technology provides a potential remedy in treating human suffering brought on by the ravages of fatal diseases, serious health conditions and even severe injuries.
WHAT ARE STEM CELLS?
Stem cells are cells that have not yet developed into other types of cells. They have the capacity to divide and reproduce themselves in an infinite number of ways. Other cells in the body have a finite amount of times they can replicate before they start to break down. When a stem cell divides, it can either stay the same or become a differentiated cell like a muscle cell or a red blood cell (Jesse K. Biehl B. P., 2014). Stem cell-based therapies, according to researchers, could one day be utilized to cure major disorders including paralysis and Alzheimer's disease. Hence, this lesson comprehensively discoursed how stem cell works, what are the types of stem cells, and what are the bioethical issues concerning stem cell therapies.
BACKGROUND OF STEM CELL RESEARCH
The properties of stem cell were first rigorously introduced by Ernest McCulloch and James Till by their groundbreaking work in mice in the early 1960s. They discovered the blood-forming stem cell called hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). Hematopoietic stem cells are immature cells that develops into all types of blood cells such as leukocytes, erythrocytes, and thrombocytes. Moreover, stem cells were primarily used in bone marrow transplants (BMTs), a medical procedure that replace damaged or destroyed bone marrow by transplanting stem cells which travels to the bone marrow and may produce new blood cells and promote growth of new marrow. (What is Biotechnology, 2015)
Stem cells possesses the ability to regenerate and repair all of the tissues inside the human body making them the ideal candidates for future therapeutic regeneration and repair. To be classified as "stem cells," cells must exhibit two distinct traits. First, stem cells must have the ability to self-renew indefinitely and produce children that are identical to the originator cell. This is also true of cancer cells, which divide uncontrollably in contrast to stem cell division, which is well regulated. As a result, it's critical to remember that stem cells must also be able to give rise to a specialized cell type that becomes a part of the healthy animal.
THE PROCESS OF STEM CELL THERAPY
Through stem cells or their derivatives, stem cell treatment or regenerative medicine supports the reparative response of dysfunctional, wounded, or diseased tissue. Researchers grow these cells in a laboratory and manipulate them to specialize in specific cell types, such as nerve, blood, or muscle cells. Following that, the cells can be implanted in a person, for example, if he or she has cardiac trouble. A physician can inject the cells into the heart muscle in this scenario. This treatment is a quick and painless outpatient procedure.
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the most researched method of stem cell therapy for MS (often shortened to AHSCT, ASCT or HSCT). Your own stem cells are extracted and then injected back into your body in this procedure. Early results have been promising, and researchers are learning more about how to best treat people with stem cells.
Although tiny numbers of hematopoietic stem cells circulate in our blood, they are mostly present in our bone marrow. They evolve into the various types of blood cells, including certain immune system cells. They're made in vast quantities throughout our lifetimes to keep our blood and immune systems replenished as cells die and are replaced.
THE BIOETHICAL ISSUE OF STEM CELL THERAPY
For a long time, stem cell research has been a source of contention. Those who oppose the concept believe that human life is being manipulated and destroyed, and that murder is being perpetrated. Human life, they believe, originates at the embryonic stage. Utilitarianism can be used to support stem cell research. By saving lives, stem cell research aims to attain the highest satisfaction and utility. The principal criticism leveled at this problem was its disregard for individual rights. Individual rights, on the other hand, are not jeopardized if human life is not determined. Stem cell research in healthcare is required for medical innovation for the greater good .
STEM CELL RESEARCH IN THE PHILIPPINES
Rich businessmen and public leaders, primarily men, are the most eager customers of stem cell therapy, according to Florencio Lucero, a doctor in Manila who has been doing adult stem cell therapy since 2006. In a country where many elites are fascinated with the natural aging process, wealthy Filipinos are paying between $12,500 and $18,000 per stem cell therapy session in the hopes of improving their general health and looking younger. Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile are two prominent examples of wealthy politicians who have undergone stem cell therapy. Arroyo stated that cultivated stem cells would be used in her treatment because they are less expensive than those derived from sheep or one's own body.
With an eye on the economic benefits of stem cell treatments, the Philippine government released a public advisory stating that, while the technology shows promise, stem cell therapy is still regarded an experimental procedure for compassionate use. Stem cell applications for the treatment of cancer, blood problems, degenerative illnesses, metabolic diseases, and immune cell therapy are still being evaluated in clinical trials. Thus, the Philippines' health ministry encouraged the public to avoid stem cell therapies that use embryonic stem cells, aborted fetuses, genetically altered, and animal fresh cells as sources of stem cells.
ANTAGONISTIC PERSPECTIVE OF STEM CELL RESEARCH
Stem cell research is the haven of new advancement in the field of biomedicine. Current researches dictates that stem cell research has convened a huge therapeutic promise to curtail such debilitating diseases. However, this tremendous potential also includes tremendous moral and ethical issues since the research is morally impermissible because it involves the unjust killing of innocent human beings specifically in the human embryonic stem cell research.
Although, the scientific progress of stem cell therapy reflects extensive opportunities towards our healthcare system we cannot deny the fact the harvesting human embryonic cells as a subject for research is hereby opposed and it leads to the question of its ethics since the process is claimed to hampers a human life in the first place. Whilst, the respect for life is the main concern here as the human embryo is already viewed as a human life. are human beings. The issue of when a human being begins to exist is, however, a contested one. According to (George & Gomez-Lobo 2002, opposition perspective on Human Embryonic Stem Cell research is that a human being begins to exist with the emergence of the one-cell zygote at fertilization. At this stage, human embryos are said to be whole living member of the species homo sapiens which possess the epigenetic primordia for self-directed growth into adulthood. With this being said, embryos used in stem cell research are considered the beginning of human life therefore is considered as an individual right.
The controversy of stem cell research relies mainly on the respect and dignity of human life in which the ethical principle of ‘rights’ is being violated. In this ethical theory, the rights established by a society are protected and given the highest priority. The rights of the human embryo shall be protected as what the society endorsed them to be. Since, every person in this world must have the right to have an equal opportunity and have access to protection. Opposition continues to argue that human embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong since it is the direct destruction of innocent human life and does not benefit the individual embryo undergoing the research. With this fact alone, the ethical principle of right has been clearly dishonored. Likewise, this claim is primarily supported by the Declaration of Helsinki, the Nuremberg Code, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. As stated by the World Medical Association, “Concern for the interests of the subject must always prevail over the interest of science and society”.
In any stances of life here in the world, every person must be given the right of care and unjust treatment shall not be tolerated. The imperative risks and consequences of the stem cell research are clearly on harming an innocent individual. An embryo to begin with is a life, a human life that must be protected, supported and give the perfect alimony of good deeds. Therefore, this position statements negating stem cell research despite enormous potential therapeutic applications might be a consideration for you to rethink and change ground your perspective because it is not easy to uphold science interests when an innocent life is at stake of being in the state of death. Conclusively, stem cell research hampers the ethical school of thought, individual rights and thus it is considered unethical.
THE WRITER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WRITER'S PERSPECTIVE
Science always makes it way in creating progress and stem cell research technology is one of the major advancements especially in the field of biomedicine. Whereas, Stem cell technology provides a potential remedy in treating human suffering brought on by the ravages of fatal diseases, serious health conditions and even severe injuries. Yet, despite the promise of this scientific breakthrough major issues and opposition mounted for this idea. Individuals who antagonized this scientific innovation were steamed with human life concerns. Nonetheless, Stem cell research proliferates opportunities in maximizing the quality of life.
Researches on Human Embryonic Stem cells became the subject of controversy and steamed with various critics on its moral consequences as started to examine embryonic stem cells which they claimed to be a human life. Contrary to their claims, embryonic cells are not yet qualified as a human life. According to Lysaught (2006), embryonic stem cells that are harvested denies the qualification of “human” life. Researchers viewed it as basically a human tissue, a cluster of cells that are unorganized to qualify as a “living being.” Moreover, assuming that the claim may be true, researchers still argues that it really qualifies as a human life since the cells do lack self-consciousness and awareness as traits of a human. On the other hand, stem cell research itself has the advantage side in saving millions of lives whom succumb with life-threating illnesses. With that, stem cell technology is held to be good in itself, apart from its further consequences.
Stem cell research is backed up by this ethical theory, Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism principle or better known as the “greatest happiness” includes all of the good and bad produced by the act. Whereas, the choice that produces the greatest advantage to the majority of the population is the one that is ethically correct (West, 2012). This ethical theory supports the greater good and the maximum happiness respective to the significant moral consequences.
When we looked into the main goal of stem cell technology, we can then denote that utilitarianism is the concept of justice that would support embryonic stem cell research issues. The foundation of this idea is drawn from what the Human Embryonic Stem cells can offer. Human Embryonic Stem cells causes for the greater good since the purpose of examining HESCs is to discover potential treatment of such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even cancer. This quest has a plan to ultimately terminates the enigma of jeopardized medical health conditions. Hence, it is a morally right consequence and in its utilitarian perspective, stem cell research which determined to promotes a quality life will prolong the happiness of the majority. The potential development on medicine of stem cell research and its promising results to be therapeutic in such detrimental health conditions outweigh the loss of embryos involved in the research studies.
Scientific progress has become the trend and at some point they become the hotspot of controversial issues. Stem cell research might be sound unethical to some but for those who continues to battle with the fatal diseases where cure and treatment are yet to discover stem cell research could be their source of hope in achieving the quality of life they imagined it to be. Nonetheless, the further development of this studies continues to upholds greater good and with rule-utilitarianism principle, we can say stem cell research is ethically correct.
Now that you have grasped the basic rudiments of stem cell research. You be the judge, where do you stand?
Show us your real vision.
REFERENCES
Akomah, J. (2020). Stem Cell Research and Utilitarianism.
Brazier, Y. (2018, October 19). Sources of Stem Cells. Retrieved from Medical News Today.
Health, S. C. (n.d.). What are Stem Cells.
Jesse K. Biehl, B. P. (2009). The Journal of cardiovascular nursing. Introduction to Stem Cell Therapy.
Lysaught, M. T. (2006). Making Decisions about Embryonic Stem Cells Research. 7-8.
Martin, P. A. (2017). Autologous Hematopoetic stem cell transplantation for treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Pamela Sarkar et al. (2017). Cell Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis.
What is Biotechnology. (2015). Retrieved from Stem Cells: https://www.whatisbiotechnology.org/index.php/science/summary/stem/stem-cells-repair-tissues-and-regenerate-cells
ALLAN JOHN I. LUCAS
ALLAN JOHN I. LUCAS
Contributor
VILLAMOR M. TOQUERO JR.
VILLAMOR M. TOQUERO JR.
Contributor
INFORMATIVE VIDEO
INFORMATIVE VIDEO
STEM CELLS
STEM CELLS
By JK Apostol
Human stem cells are unique cells with the capacity to differentiate into a wide variety of cell types. There are many reasons why people fear aging. Old people always get sick, memory loss is an inevitable part of aging, as you age you get wrinkly and ugly, old people can’t learn new tricks, and old people are lonely and grumpy. With what we know about stem cells now, it is technically possible to slow down aging and make people healthier and live longer. Stem cells can help slow down the aging process in important ways. Stem cells will be the way to cure all diseases in the future. They are a lighthouse for all people and can change the way medicine is done in the years to come. Stem cells are extremely beneficial, yet they are surrounded by shadows of darkness.
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