Stem Cells

Stem cells are malleable cells that are capable of multiplying themselves through mitosis. These cells are able to differentiate themselves to form into other types of cells. The three main stem cells are embryonic stem cells, iPS stem cells, and adult (somatic) stem cells. These stem cells are vital in the medical world. Scientists have found that by transforming these stem cells to fit the needs of the patients, they could cure numerous diseases that were incurable before.

            From when the embryonic stem cells were developed until now, many scientists limited their option for cure to only the embryonic cells. Even after a couple of decades later, the embryonic cell still remains as the ‘golden standard’. Embryonic cells are pluripotent stem cells that are found from the inner mass of the blastocyst.  Because it has yet to reach the stages where it forms into three germ layers, these embryonic cells are capable of forming as cells of any part of the body. After extracting the embryonic cells, they are then formed into different types of cells to fit the needs of the patients.

             With the embryonic stem cells, it seemed as if everything was going right for the scientists. However, there was a moral conflict involved with the medical success of embryonic cells. The usage of human embryonic cells brought up ethical disputes whether one’s life should be risked to save another. Therefore, the discovery of iPS stem cells was immensely significant. These cells are very similar to the embryonic stem cells. Although it does not fully function as an exact replica of the embryonic stem cells, it does not differ from the actual embryonic stem cells visually, nor in its basic functions.

            Another type of stem cells is called adult stem cells, or somatic stem cells. These cells work to maintain and fix malformed tissues. These cells can be found in numerous organs and tissues. Some of the organs that contain these cells include brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium, and testis. The main difference between these cells and the embryonic cells is that these cells have already matured in some extent.

Once the stem cell is isolated from its surroundings, it is then injected with information that allows it to form into the desired type of cell. Also, because of their ability to go through mitosis, replications of the cells are possible. One of the examples in the video that was given to us, was the sickle cell anemia. This disease can be characterized by the malfunction of the red blood cells, as they are incapable of transferring proper amount of oxygen throughout the body, causing pain to the patient. With the stem cells, the deformed red blood cells can be replaced by the stem cells. Because the patient’s information would be injected into the stem cells, the body would not reject the entering cells, and the patient would have healthy new red blood cells. Because of its ability to form itself to any cell of the body, the stem cell cure would be ideal not only for sickle cell anemia, but for numerous ‘incurable’ diseases.