Therapeutic Benefits of Stem Cells Essay -- Science Health Technology

Therapeutic Benefits of Stem Cells A stem cell is a cell which can differentiate into any other type of cell in the body. It can become a blood cell, a liver cell, or even a nerve cell. The only problem with stem cells is that they can only be found in the bone marrow of living humans or the gonadal tissue of developing fetuses. There are many people who believe that stem cells are the miracle cure for cancer, Parkinson’s, and many other terminal diseases, but there are large groups of people opposed to the use of stem cells because of the means by which they are attained. This debate will go on indefinitely, because there are prodigious amounts of support for both sides of the issue. The many benefits of stem cells out weigh the ethical issues behind the retrieval methods. There are many diseases that can be cured with stem cells. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a disorder in which the â€Å"nerve cells which operate muscles degrade over time† (Langreth, 2001). There is no certain cure for the disease, but â€Å"embryonic stem cells have been known to differentiate into motor neurons† (Langreth, 2001). The fact that stem cells can become motor neurons is astonishing because they can lead to a cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease. The possibility of curing this disease has many positive implications. Before, anyone who developed this condition was labeled as â€Å"dead† because there was no possibility of curing the disorder. The fact that we have a chance to cure this disease through the use of stem cells gives the people who suffer from the disease a glimmer of hope that they can be cured. Another disease which can possibly be cured through the use of stem cells is X-SCID. X-SCID is an X-linked immunodeficiency that is genet ically inherited... ...5F0+ds+%5Fs%5F0+dstb+KS+fcl+Aut+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00236207+sm+KS+ss+SO+C061&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1&+KS+so+b+ss+SO+C495&cf=1&fn=311&rn=319 4. Langreth, Robert. Daring to Live. Retrieved March 25, 2003 from http://web13.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=dbs+0+ln+en%2Dus+sid+EEDE302C%2DD4AF%2D4AE5%2D8E99%2D32B074FDD225%40sessionmgr3%2Dsessionmgr4+2762&_up=dba+aphdeh+st+alpha+43DB&_us=bs+ALS++AND++stem++cells+ds+ALS++AND++stem++cells+dstb+KS+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00282442+sm+KS+so+b+ss+SO+1F99&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1& 5. FDA Consumer. Temporary Halt on Gene Therapy Trials. Retrieved March 25, 2003 from http://web13.epnet.com/citation.asp?tb=1&_ug=dbs+0+ln+en%2Dus+sid+EEDE302C%2DD4AF%2D4AE5%2D8E99%2D32B074FDD225%40sessionmgr3%2Dsessionmgr4+2762&_us=bs+X%2DSCID+ds+X%2DSCID+dstb+KS+gl+%5Fs%5F8+hd+0+hs+0+or+Date+ri+KAAACBVB00282749+sm+KS+so+b+ss+SO+CBEE&cf=1&fn=1&rn=1&