Stem Cells: Growing the Future
Andrea Albano
Author Affiliation
Abstract
In my paper, I will discuss the experiments done without years, the religious views of many religions, and how researchers believe they should gather stem cells through IVF.
In today’s world, cancer and different types of diseases affect us every day. In my childhood, I know multiple people who suffer from cancer. The cancer patients tired chemotherapy and/or radiation; consequently, the chemotherapy or radiation worked. Fortunately, the doctor suggested therapy using stem cells. By using stem cell therapy, the patients’ cancer had subsided or made the patient cancer free. From hearing stories on how stem cells can cure a patient from cancer or other diseases, stem cell research and/or cloning becomes less horrible in the eyes of many people. Many people do not know all the information about stem cell research or cloning; thus, making wrong assumptions about stem cell research or cloning. From research done and experiments over the years, researchers find a way to cure certain diseases or clone different animals. Countries, now a day, have different views on stem cell research. Different countries have different policies for stem cell research. In many religious beliefs, stem cell research is acceptable; however, with in the religious belief rules are set to ensure the research is ethical.
Many people do not know all the information about stem cells in general. In the “Stanford Law & Policy Review” Russell Korobkin discusses the potential for stem cell research. Korobkin also discusses the different types of stem cell research. In addition, to the stem cell research, Korobkin states all the policies about stem cell research and stem cell cloning. There are two different types of stem cells. The first type of stem cell is an adult stem cell. According to Korobkin, “more differentiated stem cells, often collectively called adult stem cells are found in [the] fetuses and persons” (2007, p. 2). A differentiated cell is a cell that has a specific function, meaning adult stem cells are in a fetuses and a person because the cells decided on a specific function in the body. The second type of stem cell is an embryonic stem cell. Korobkin states, “the least differentiated of stem cells, embryonic stem cells, are found in very early stage embryos, called blastocysts” (2007, p.2). Like previously stated about adult stem cells having a specific function and embryonic stem cell does not have a specific function. During this stage, the cells try to find a function. A Blastocyst, according to Michel Revel is “a stage which is reached before the embryo implants into the womb” (2008, p.4). This stage only happens before the embryo is form before reaching the womb. Korobkin and Revel both show that an embryonic stem cell is only located in the embryo during the stage of blastocyst. From embryonic stem cells, researchers found a way to transfer stem cells into the body. This method is called somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). What this method does is inject stem cells therapeutically to replace bad or damaged tissue. From using this method, one famous experiment took place in cloning an sheep by the name of Dolly.
From researchers developing SCNT, two Scottish researchers successfully cloned a sheep by the name of Dolly. In “Dolly: a decade on” Wadman discusses ten years on Dolly the sheep from how people reacted and how people began to worry about the ethics. In 1996 a sheep named Dolly was born. According to Wadman, “on 27 February 1996 that they produced a lamb named Dolly, born the previous July, that was the first mammalian clone created using the genetic materal from an adult cell” (2007, p. 1). On February 27, 1996, Ian Wilmut along with his research team had created a cloned sheep named Dolly. Dolly was the first adult mammal to have been cloned. With Dolly being a cloned mammal, many people had questioned how Wilmut cloned the sheep successful. In “Becoming Immortal : Combining Cloning and Stem Cell Therapy” author Stanley Shostak discusses why people would use cloning, based on the experiments successfully done throughout the year. Shostak states “Speaking genetically, she was a replica of the organism whose cell donated a nucleus. Dolly’s nuclear parent was demonstrated morphologically and by high-tech DNA fingerprinting with polymorphic microsatellite DNA fragments” (2002, p. 10). Dolly, genetically, is a make-up of the cellsthe scientists collected from different sheep. Dolly was then “cloned” by taking the two different sheep cells making Dolly’s DNA different from the two different sheep. The cells collected, the scientist got from the two different sheep nucleus. The picture on the right can show how Dolly the sheep was cloned. After the media had found out Dolly was a cloned sheep, immediately the media went crazy. Everyone wanted to see Dolly for their own eyes. Wadman states “Wilmut and his colleagues, took around 2,000 calls from journalists in two weeks” (2007, p. 1). Not matter what part of the country journalists were in, the journalists wanted to meet Dolly; nevertheless, not everyone saw Dolly as an incredible stem cell clone. Political members, in different countries, did not see stem cells cloned or stem cell research in general as a moral and ethical way to discover what stem cells can do.
Countries have different policies for different stem cell research or stem cell cloning. These countries often use IVF (in vitro fertilization) stem cells that have been created. Michel Revel, author of “Research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Cloning for Stem Cells” discusses how IVF can provided human embryonic stem cells; thus, having the potential to eventually repair damaged tissue within the body. Revel states, “many studies indicate that the transplantation of cells and tissues obtained by in vitro differentiation of human embryonic cells have the potential to replace the damaged tissues of various organs, such as insulin-producing pancreatic cells in diabetic patients, cardiomyocytes in victims of heart infarctions, neural cells in sufferers of neurological disease such as Parkinson’s disease or in victims of spinal cord trauma” (2008, p.1). From taking embryonic stem cells from a blastocyst, researchers can have the possibility of finding cures for people who suffer from diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and people who have suffered in a spinal cord injury. Michael J. Fox, a well-known actor in Hollywood, unfortunately suffers from Parkinson’s disease. Michael is trying everything in his power to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease, Michael even donates a large amount of money to organizations dealing with stem cell research in hopes researchers will find a cure for Parkinson’s along with many other horrible diseases; nonetheless, not everyone agrees with Michael J. Fox in supporting stem cell research or stem cell cloning. In “Multiplicity Yours : Cloning, Stem Cell Research, and Regenerative Medicine” Hwa A. Lim discusses all the different policies different countries have. According to Lim, “On July 16, 2001, Former First Lady Nancy Reagan wrote to President George Bush to ask the president not to ban stem cell research. But on August 9, 2001, President Bush of the U.S. adopted a brand of political and regulatory tightrope of allowing stem cell research, but with restriction to existing cell lines” (2006, p. 266). President Bill Clinton was outraged at the uses for stem cell research. President Clinton wanted to avoid abuse in the use of stem cells. After President Clinton was done with his four years in office, President George Bush took over. Within the years of President Clinton and President Bush office years, more research in stem cell research had arisen. In 2000, Scottish scientists cloned many piglets. After, this cloning, in 2001 Nancy Regan asked President Bush to ban all research on stem cell research because it was unethical and immoral. President Bush and Nancy were both Christians, meaning Bush and Nancy thought anything to do with stem cell research was unethical and immoral. Bush then stopped all federal funding for stem cell research; however, Bush made guidelines for researchers in stem cell research to follow. However, Bush did not ban anything further on using IVF stem cells for research.
IVF is one of the ways researchers collect stem cells. When a human fertilized egg becomes a blastocyst within five days, researches can collect stem cells from said embryo. IVF, previously stated, is in vitro fertilization. IVF is a treatment that could help couples or a woman to achieve pregnancy. For many women they often freeze their embryos for later use. Revel state, “estimated that there are 400,000 surplus frozen embryos in fertility clinics in the USA alone” (2008, p.4). Many countries have a fertility clinic were the women’s frozen embryo is stored; however, all in the USA fertility clinics have about 400,000 extra embryos that couples or the woman did not want. Hossam E. Fadel author of “Developments in Stem Cell Research and Therapeutic Cloning: Islamic Ethical Positions” discusses how Islamic research scholars support stem cell research, only if the research benefits the people. If a couple or a woman does not want the embryos that have been kept frozen, “the frozen embryos are thawed and wither left to die or destroyed” (Fadel, 2012, p.128). The clinics do not keep the embryos; the researchers at the clinic destroy of the embryos. Many people and many religious groups believe stem cell research should be banned for good including IVF. Many religious groups associated stem cell research to abortion because the religious members believe life beings at conception: thus, the religious members think that stem cell research is killing a life. “Every human being was once an embryo, passing through the blastocyst stage before implantation into the uterus, and therefore the blastocyst has human status. However, … not every blastocyst has the potential to become a human being” (Revel, 2008, p.4). Everyone was a blastocyst at one point then becoming an embryo; however, many of the blastocysts that have the potential to become an embryo often do not. Often many of the fertilized eggs go into the blastocyst stage. Also, in IVF the parents of the embryo, has the choice in if the couples want the embryo implanted in to woman. Even though some of the religious believe stem cell research is associated with abortion; however, some religious support stem cell research. In the Islamic religion, many scholars / believers believe stem cell research is trying to fulfill God’s duty. Many of the members of the Islamic religion live by certain principles. One of the principles is health. Health, to Islamic believers, is God’s most important rewards. Islamic believers think that God is the owner of your body; thus, many believers think that your body is sick seek treatment right away. Another principle is trying to find treatments or cures for diseases. Fadel states, “Prophet Muhammad… reported to have said ‘God did not create a disease without creating its cure expect senility (death)’” (2012, p.130). Islamic believers think if God created a terrible diseases, God created the cure to that disease; thus, making the search for a cure the Islamic believers duty to God. However, Islamic believers only use actual embryos. The embryos that Islamic research use cannot be made for the sole purpose of research. Islamic scholars do believe that embryos have some rights, but Islamic scholars believe a life begins at ensoulment, the breathe of God.
Stem cell research can have many debates on what is right and what is wrong. Many people still do not know all the facts about stem cell research and all the potential stem cell research has. A Scottish scientist, Ian Wilmut, cloned a sheep named Dolly. Wilmut used SCNT, somatic cell nuclear transfer, another way to inject stem cells. When everyone heard about Dolly, the media and political members went crazy. In 2001, President Bush stopped all federal funding for stem cell research; however, many people have different views along with religious groups. In the Islamic religion, members believe it is their duty to God to find cures for disease using stem cell research. However, in the Christian religion, members see anything to do with stem cell research as part of abortion; thus, making stem cell research unethical and immoral. Imagine what the world would be like if stem cell research was acceptable for everyone. Researchers may have accomplished more than what researchers have today accomplished.
References
Fadel, H. (2012). Developments in stem cell research and therapeutic cloning: Islamic ethical positions, a review. Bioethics, 26(3), 128-135. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8519.2010.01840.x
Korobkin, Russell (2007) Stem cell research and the cloning wars. Stanford Law & Policy Review, ISSN 1044-4386, 2007, Volume 18, Issue 1, p. 161
Lim, H. A. (2006). Multiplicity Yours : Cloning, Stem Cell Research, and Regenerative Medicine. New Jersey: World Scientific. (265-285). eBook.
Revel, M. (2008). Research on human embryonic stem cells and cloning for stem cells. Human Reproduction and Genetic Ethics, 14(1), 4-14. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.lewisu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/217840605?acc untid=12073
Shostak, S. (2002). Becoming Immortal : Combining Cloning and Stem-cell Therapy. Albany: State University of New York Press. (9-15). eBook.
Wadman, M. (2007). Cloning special: Dolly: A decade on. Nature, 445(7130), 800-1. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/445800a