Embryonic Stem Cell Research – What Promise?Embryonic stem cells have yet to cure a single disease, but one cannot over-estimate the hopes that scientists have for embryonic stem cell research. They say the implications for medicine could be as significant as antibiotics were fifty years ago. Embryonic stem cell research is at the forefront of medical discovery - but is it a great breakthrough or is it something more from Frankenstein's laboratory? The jury is still out on that question. How does embryonic stem cell research work? Most embryonic stems cells are gathered as part of the in vitro fertilization process for couples with fertility problems. In this process, mature eggs are gathered from the woman; fertilization then occurs in a Petri dish in a laboratory - literally 'in glass' - as the name suggests.
This in vitro fertilization process does not always work in providing a properly fertilized egg which can develop into a baby, so more eggs are recovered from the woman than will ever be implanted back into the woman. Some are fertilized but not implanted back, to prevent the risk of risky multiple pregnancies. It is these 'spare' embryos - those never destined to be born - on which embryonic stem cell research is carried out. Before embryonic stem cell research, these 'spare' embryos would just be discarded, but the debate still rages on - mainly over the point at which human life begins. But the possibilities are great for embryonic stem cell research. Why are embryonic stem cells so useful? These embryonic stem cells can renew themselves over and over again, and each time, they can be used to create a different type of cell - such as a blood cell or a brain cell. Research can then be carried out on different types of cells, into diseases affecting different parts of the body and its system. This is not possible in any other way than stem cells. It could also be possible, scientists hope, to replace damaged cells in people with healthy embryonic stem cells and thereby cure diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease and even offer hope of a cure to people with spinal cord injury. Embryonic stem cells have the capability to divide over and over again, giving almost endless possibilities for embryonic stem cell research. Is there an alternative to embryonic stem cell research? Since the 1970s, doctors have been extracting adult stem cells from bone marrow and blood and carrying out research on them. That is not nearly so controversial. The problem is that also it is not nearly as useful! More mature stem cells do not have the ability to divide as effectively, so they offer fewer stem cells than it is possible to gain through embryonic stem cell research. Also, they are more set in their ways, you might say! They do not have the capability to divide as much as is possible by embryonic stem cells. This means they provide fewer opportunities for research and do not evolve as effectively as the embryonic stem cells, which limits the possibilities for research. Since 2001, the Bush administration has tried to limit the amount of embryonic stem cell research that is carried out, by only funding research on embryonic stem cells which already exist. Since then, various states have challenged this decision and offered to provide state level funding for further embryonic stem cell research. |