What are Stem cells?
Stem cells are the raw material from which all other cells with special functions are made. Under the right conditions in the body or in the laboratory, stem cells divide to form additional cells called daughter cells. These daughter cells develop into new stem cells or specialized cells with a more specific function, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, or bone cells. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to create new types of cells.
Why are stem cells so interesting?
Improving the understanding of how diseases arise: The way stem cells mature and are found in cells in bones, heart muscle, nerves, and other organs and tissues could help researchers and doctors better understand how diseases and conditions develop.
Create healthy cells to replace diseased cells: Stem cells can become specific cells that can be used to regenerate and repair diseased or damaged tissues in humans.
People who can benefit from stem cell therapy include spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer, and osteoarthritis. Stem cells could potentially become new tissues for transplantation and regenerative medicine. Researchers continue to deepen their understanding of stem cells and their applications in transplantation and regenerative medicine. Before using investigational drugs in humans, researchers can use certain types of stem cell to test the safety and quality of the drugs. It is very likely that this type of test initially directly impacts the development of drugs to evaluate cardiac toxicity. New areas of research include the effectiveness of using human stem cells programmed into specific tissue cells to test new drugs. For the new screening tests to be accurate, cells must be programmed to acquire the properties of the cell type the drug is targeting. Methods for programming cells into specific cells are still being studied.
Why is there controversy about the use of embryonic stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells are obtained from early embryos, a group of cells that form when a woman's egg is fertilized with a man's sperm in an IVF clinic. Since human embryonic stem cells are obtained from human embryos, there are a number of questions and concerns regarding the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. The National Institutes of Health developed guidelines for human stem cell research in 2009. The guidelines define embryonic stem cells and their use in research, and also include recommendations for cell donation. Furthermore, these guidelines mean that in vitro fertilized embryonic stem cells can only be used when the embryo is no longer needed.
Where do these embryos come from?
Embryos used in embryonic stem cell research. Stem cells are donated with the consent of the donor. Stem cells can live and grow in special solutions in test tubes or petri dishes in the laboratory.
Why can't researchers use adult stem cells instead?
While research on adult stem cells is promising, adult stem cells may not be as versatile and durable as embryonic stem cells. ?
Adult stem cells are also more likely to contain abnormalities caused by environmental hazards such as toxins or cell defects during replication.
Researchers have found ways to convert stem cells into a heart cell system, for example by localizing embryonic heart stem cells. Research is being carried out in this area. Embryonic stem cells may also grow irregularly, growth tics. The students investigate how the growth and differentiation of embryonic stem cells can be controlled. Embryonic stem cells can also trigger an immune response. Researchers continue to study how these complications can be avoided.
What is therapeutic cloning and what are the benefits?
Therapeutic cloning, also known as nuclear transfer, is a method for obtaining multivalent stem cells independent of fertilized egg cells. In this process, the nucleus with the genetic material is removed from the unfertilized egg cell. The nucleus is also removed from the donor cell. This core is loaded into the egg and replaces the core, which is removed in a process.
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