Stem Cell Research
      The Newest Technology

       


Image one retrieved from
http://www.iconplc.com/icon-files/insight-newsletter/spring09/transplant.html

       Imagine going to sleep every night not knowing if you will wake up the next morning because you have an organ that is failing. Yeah, maybe you are on the organ transplant waiting list, but you have been for over a year now and your hope for a healthy future is starting to go away. With technology today, there needs to be a better way, don't you think? Scientists have been thinking the same thing, which is why they are now trying to us stem cells to recreate organs, rather than removing them from one body and planting them into another. Image one shows statistics from the transplant waiting list to try and explains how many people need transplants and how many people are able to donate organs. As you can see, there are many more people who need transplants than there are people who are able to donate them. That's why if scientists can figure out how to "grow" stem cells, we could save so many more lives!

So what are Stem Cells?

       Stem Cells are so special because they are able change into any of the other 220 different cell types.* If scientists use stem cells to regrow organs instead of surgically removing them from one body and planting them back into the other, the process will most likely be more effective. Doctors would also not have to worry about blood types mixing or organs failing again after the surgery. By using stem cells, doctors can save the lives of many parents, aunts uncles, grandparents, and even brothers and sisters!




How do they Help?

Image two retrieved from:
http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics6.aspx
 

      Scientists figured out that stem cells can be "reprogrammed," so that common illnesses or diseases like burns, heart disease, and arthritis can be cured. The healthy stem cells can replace the unhealthy cells that cause the diseases. So many people have these sickness and just want to be cured, so I think that Stem Cell Research is a great idea. What do you think? Image two explains the how stem cells work. Although some people do not like the idea of stem cells, there are many people who approve of the process. In my opinion, they offer many more good things than bad.

 

 

* Frequently Asked Questions. (n.d.). Stem Cell Basics: Introduction [Stem Cell Information]. Retrieved from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics1.aspx