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Augusta Fisher
Dr. Jonathan Scott
FYS: Biology Meets Science Fiction
7 December 2016
Can Technology Save the World?
In the year 2012, there were 14.1 million reported cases of cancer, and of those cases, 8.2
million of them resulted in death (Worldwide Cancer Statistics, 2016). The question of
whether or not science and technology can solve the problem of cancer that is posed by this
prompt is seemingly a very complicated problem, but it is actually not. With new technology and
research methods today, the complicated problem is medically a rather simple one. The issue,
however, with this solution arises in the roots of our society, which are unfortunately riddled
with religion.
In early August of 2001, George W. Bush introduced a ban on the research of newly
created embryonic stem cell lines, limiting the research to 71 lines from 14 different laboratories
worldwide. Of the 71 lines that were deemed eligible for research, only 21 of them proved to be
useful. Embryonic stem cell research is a highly debated topic, and will likely remain a highly
debated topic for years to come (Murugan, n.d.). Societys issues with embryonic stem cell
research are based on the fact that embryonic stem cells are taken from early embryos of human
(Holland, Lebacqz, & Zoloth, 2001). It is their belief that these embryos, though created with
donors egg and sperm through in vitro fertilization, hold a moral status, and that because they
will one day become life, that they should not be used to benefit others.

To better understand embryonic stem cells and their benefits medically, it is important to
first understand the process in which these stem cells are created. Embryonic stem cells are grow
in the laboratory. The process begins by placing an egg and a sperm into a petri-dish, and
allowing the embryo to grow for about five days. After this process is completed, the cells are
subcultured for many months to ensure they are capable of long term growth and self-renewal.
This process allows one line to produce millions of embryonic stem cells that can be further
subcultured and sent to other laboratories and have research done on them (Winslow, 2016). This
is where ethical issues begin to come into play. Since the process of growth in these embryos the
stem cells are collected from is stopped, it is seen by many as stopping the process of life.
The facts that are not touched on, however, are the facts of fertilization itself. In natural
conception, a fertilized egg attaches 50 percent of the time (Conception: How it Works, 2002). In
in vitro fertilization, fertilized eggs only implant 40 percent of the time (6 IVF success Factors,
2016). Essentially what this means is that 60 percent, or three fifths of donated sperm that is
thrown away each year that could be used for research or medical treatments is getting wasted.
Because so much of the viable donor eggs and sperm could be used to create embryonic stem
cells, and because 60% of the fertilized eggs used to give rise to embryonic stem cells would not
become human life anyway, it should be available to do research on.
Now that the process of how embryonic stem cells are created is understood, the benefits
and uses can be outlined. Currently, adult stem cells can be used to treat diseases and repair
injuries. Adult stem cells have been identified in organs and tissues, including brain, peripheral
blood, bone marrow, skin, teeth, blood vessels, heart, gut, and the liver. These stem cells, though
they can be used to treat diseases and injuries, come with limitations. One of the major

limitations of adult stem cells is that there are a very limited number of any given type of adult
stem cell. Because of this, some diseases and injuries can not be treated with adult stem cells
(WInslow, 2016b). There are several benefits to using adult stem cells in medicine, and the
continuation of use is very important, as there are no ethical concerns when it comes to using
adult stem cells to do repairs and treatments. The problem, however, is that they are limited in
use, and the only alternative to using adult stem cells is to use induced pluripotent stem cells,
which comes with a plethora of problems, or to use embryonic stem cells, which raises great
ethical concern.
A seemingly useful alternative to embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells when they
can not be used are induced pluripotent stem cells. Essentially what induced pluripotent stem
cells are, are adult stem cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic stem cell like
state that can enable the development of any human cell needed for therapeutic use (Regents,
2016). Using these induced pluripotent stem cells seemingly solves all the problems with adult
stem cells and embryonic stem cells, but there are many issues with IPSCs. The first major issue
with induced pluripotent cells is the induction of pluripotency itself. When ectopic transcription
takes place, it can lead to neoplastic development, which is associated with the development of
tumors known in oncogenetics. The other issue with IPSCs is that the genome must be altered so
that the body receiving the cells accepts them, and this process is extremely tedious and difficult
to get correct (Mendelev, Shevchenko, & Zakian, 2010).
Adult stem cells have been in use since the 1960s, and have proven to be successful, but
only in bone marrow transplants and to help protect against lung disease in premature newborns
(How are adult stem cells turned into treatments, 2005). Because of this, an alternative is needed

to help push the cure for many diseases over the edge. The only reasonable alternative to using
adult stem cells is to use embryonic stem cells, as induced pluripotent stem cells have proved to
have too many unsolvable problems.
The only issue standing in the way of using embryonic stem cells to cure many diseases,
including most cancers, are the laws in place to prevent research. The laws in place are simply in
place because of some a number of people who believe that the process of the creation of
embryonic stem cells is unethical, and should not be used despite its benefits. To many,
including Michael J. Fox, who has parkinson's disease, which is curable by stem cells, believes
that they should be used.
We have a right, if theres answers out there, to pursue those answers with the full
support of our politicians, (Fox, 2008).
Like so many others, it is the belief of Fox that because we have the answers to the problem of
ALS, parkinsons, diabetes, cancers, and spinal cord injuries, that we should have access to those
treatments, or at least be able to conduct research to advance treatments for those diseases.
In 1973, under the Fourteenth amendment to the Constitution, the Roe v. Wade case
decided that abortion was legal during the entirety of the pregnancy, due to one life not taking
precedent over another. In the United Kingdom, abortion is legal up to 24 weeks, and there is no
time limit when the woman carrying is in danger or at risk (Nina, 2014). In accordance with that
law, in the UK, embryonic stem cell research can be carried out as long as there is approval from
the HFEA (EuroStemCell, 2011). Like the UK, the US should follow suit in making their
abortion laws and embryonic stem cell laws coincide. Until this happens, the issue of cancer and
many other now incurable diseases can not be solved by the available technology due to a block

created by the society that most Americans live in today. If laws were somehow changed, and the
debate was taken to a new level and this research was allowed, medical technology could surely
solve this problem that has plagued the human race since the beginning.

References
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EuroStemCell. (2011, December 14). Regulation of stem cell research in the United Kingdom.
Retrieved December 9, 2016, from
http://www.eurostemcell.org/regulations/regulation-stem-cell-research-united-kingdom
Holland, S., Lebacqz, K., & Zoloth, L. (2001). The Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debate:
Science, Ethics, and Public Policy. Retrieved from
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Winslow, T. (2016a, December 8). Stem cell basics III. Retrieved December 8, 2016, from
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