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Nlida Ayala

Ms. Kashinsky
Biology F
11/11/15
Effectiveness of Embryonic Stem Cells in Treatments

Stem Cells are undifferentiated cells, or have not become specialized and can be
found in plants and animals (Stem Cells). Stem cells can self-replicate in cell division
and they are able to produce cells of different types that make up the bodys tissues and
organs. One type of stem cells is the embryonic stem cells. They come from embryos or
an unborn animals in the early stages of development (Stem Cells). There is a lot of
controversy on the effectiveness of embryonic stem cells in the treatment of human
diseases, because there are benefits and disadvantages.
Embryonic stem cells can be beneficial, because scientists are developing
treatments that use stem cells to replace damaged cells in the body. It can treat many
disorders and injuries (Stem Cells). Embryonic stem cells have been shown to treat
diseases like Parkinson disease and pancreatic cells for diabetes. They are also used for
cell replacement and disease/drug research. Scientists at Queens University Belfast
Center use stem cells to treat diabetic conditions in the eye (Queen's Drives Stem Cell
Research). The scientists first detach populations of stem cells, and then place them in
locations of the body that have been harmed by diabetes. Another example is the
experiment at Stanford, where embryonic stem cells were inserted into diabetic mice that
could not produce insulin. The new cells created insulin and treated the diabetes.
In another example, Lorenz Studer, a researcher, used human embryonic stem
cells in brains of mice and rats. It improved some characteristics of the mice. Many
people have Parkinsons disease, which is a disease that kills nerve cells and can affect
sleep and thinking. People with Parkinsons have slow movements and may also suffer

Nlida Ayala
Ms. Kashinsky
Biology F
11/11/15
from motivation and depression. Although Parkinsons does not have a cure, there are
treatments. The researchers have made new nerve cells from the stem cells, and are
inserting them, replacing the harmed cells through transplantation. Although these
experiments were on animals, scientists believe that the successful outcomes will happen
with humans.
Researchers also use stem cells to study the disease. Scientists use transformed
embryonic cells on people with Parkinsons disease to create diseased neurons. The
neurons are important to study how the Parkinsons disease functions and to experiment
substances that can become new drugs to treat the disease. In Edinburgh, UK, there is a
study with a mother with Parkinsons, and her daughter with a genetic cause. The study
includes comparing the different embryonic cells to create neurons to examine them
closely. By doing this, the researchers expect to find more about the function of the
disease and new medicine to treat it. These treatments are better than existing ones,
because the rates for stem cells have been successful. The beneficial effects are lasting
reductions to symptoms like tremors.
The insertion of embryonic stem cells also has disadvantages. When using the
embryonic cell, it is necessary to destroy the embryo. Many religions go against killing
an embryo, because it is equal to human life. "A life is a life and that should never be
compromised. A fertilized egg should be valued as a human life even if it is in its very
first weeks. Destroying human life in the hopes of saving human life is not ethical" (Stem
Cell Research).
Stem cells can be obtained from different places, and can be capable of providing
tissue types in human beings. Stem cells can also be found in the fetus, umbilical cord

Nlida Ayala
Ms. Kashinsky
Biology F
11/11/15
blood, and in other tissues (Deem). There are also possible side effects with the use of
embryonic stem cells. One is the complication of learning to insert the cells into the
different types of organs and tissues and making sure that diseases like cancer are not
established during the transplantation. A scientist in the University of Wisconsin, James
Thomson, said 'I don't want to sound too pessimistic because this is all doable, but it's
going to be very hard (Practical Problems with Embryonic Stem Cells).
There are many risks to using embryonic stem cells. There has been research that
the transplantation of embryonic stem cells can result in tumor formation, inappropriate
stem cell migration, immune rejection of transplanted stem cells, haemorrhage during
neurosurgery and postoperative infection (Master). In an experiment, stem cells were
transmitted in rats, and 5 of the 25 rats died, because they caught the disease of teratoma
formation from the transplantation. Also, there was stem cell transplantation in the brains
of rats, and twenty five percent of the rats died, because they had initiated brain tumors.
In all, the benefits of embryonic stem cells can lead to new discoveries of
medicine and also replacements of damaged cells. However, it is killing a human life and
can have side effects such as tumors. Overall, I believe that embryonic stem cells do more
good than harm for treating human diseases, because the replacement of damaged cells
can result in treating diseases like Parkinsons and diabetes. Researchers can also use the
stem cells to create drugs that can be used to treat the disease. Although it may involve
killing the embryo, it may be able to cure diseases that have no cure.

Nlida Ayala
Ms. Kashinsky
Biology F
11/11/15
Works Cited
Deem, Rich. "What Is Wrong with Embryonic Stem Cell Research?" Evidence For God.
God and Science.org, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/stem_cell_research.html>.
Master, Zubin, Marcus McLeod, and Ivar Mendez. "Benefits, risks and ethical
considerations in translation of stem cell research to clinical applications in
Parkinson's disease." U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Center of
Biotechnology, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2598267/>.
"Parkinsons Disease: How Could Stem Cells Help?" EuroStem Cell. EuroStem Cell, 12
Dec. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/parkinson>.
"Practical Problems with Embryonic Stem Cells." United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.usccb.org>.
"Stem Cell Research." Explorable. Explorable.com, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<https://explorable.com/stem-cell-pros-and-cons>.
"Testing the Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Tissue Regeneration." Stanford
Medicine. Stanford School of Medicine, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://stemcell.stanford.edu/research/embryonic_stem_cells.html>.
"Stem cell." Britannica School. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2015. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
"Queen's drives stem cell research." Optician 22 Feb. 2012. Science in Context. Web. 8
Nov. 2015

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