The Future of Medicine - Stem Cells

Could you imagine if one of your parents had a disease that doctors said could not be cured?  Fortunately, there is something doctors might be able to do.  They could be cured by something called stem cells.  Once a cell is damaged, it is very hard to repair them.  Often times in very dangerous illnesses like heart failure, cells will break down.  That's where stem cells come into place.  Stem cells are taken from the tissues of fetuses that never fully developed.  These stem cells can then be placed into tissues of damaged cells.  The stem cells then replace the damaged tissues that.  This process could possibly save so many people with illnesses.  Scientists have been spending a lot of time study mice and have determined that the use of stem cells has helped remove dangerous diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and ALS.  This is a major accomplishment.  It shows that one day, they can continue to help cure these diseases in people.   Although stem cells sound amazing, it can be a complicated process.  Here is a picture to help explain it better:



Image courtesy of http://whyfiles.org/127stem_cell/stem_cell_graphic.html

As you can see, stem cells can be a complicated task.  In the picture above, we see them start as a fertilized egg.  Over the course of 5 to 7 days it the egg enters the blastocyst stage.  By step 3, inner stem cell mass, the cell have grown and take up much more space than they previously did.  After this point doctors have determined that the egg will never truly form and create life.  We now at this point it is possible to use them for medical purposes.  Cultured undifferentiated stem cells, or step 4, is when cells are formed but have are not developed into a specific cell type yet.  This means they can be used at different areas of the body that could use them.  That takes us to the final step where they become specialized cells like blood cells, neural cells or muscle cells.  They are also know as differentiated stem cells.  This is the step where than can be put into places of the body where cells are damaged and the stem cells move in to repair them.  This process is the whole idea of stem cells that can help save countless numbers of lives.  T.J. Atchison is one of the first people in the United States to take part in this study.  This video will help show the progress.  Watch the video below:

 



As seen in the video, T.J. was in a terrible car accident that changed his life forever.  He became paralyzed from the stomach down.  Once paralyzed, it is not possible to feel anything in the part of the body affected by it.  However, with the use of embryonic stem cells, T.J. can clearly feel again and use his legs to some extent.  This is a incredible breakthrough in the medical world.  Hid story shows that there is a sign for hope for people just like him and millions of others facing diseases that stem cells can potentially cure. 

If you knew someone you loved was suffering you would want to help them, right?  With stem cells it appears it is possible.  Years ago, technology like this seemed out of reach.  Breakthroughs in modern medicine are giving us all a new look at what we can do.  Ask around and try to spread the use of stem cells to help others.  This idea can possibly save millions.  Why wouldn't we try it?  If we can do all of this now, I cannot even imagine what will be possible in the future.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. (2009 ). http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics6.aspx