Stem Cell R&D Draws Debate

Stem cell research is one of today’s most controversial and interesting areas of biomedical research. It offers huge potential for improving our quality of life but raises ethical and moral questions.

Researchers and practitioners are intrigued and still learning how the body uses these cells to restore and regenerate human tissue. Doctors hope to restore and harness the power of stem cells in efforts to have a human “repair kit.”


However, there is still a deep divide over how safe and ethical this practice is. It’s true that stem cells could revolutionize medicine, but the subject also raises profound ethical and moral issues about how far we should take this research and development to save lives and extend life.

Stem cells are found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms, according to Wikipedia. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic (mitosis) cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types.

Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadians Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s.
The two types of mammalian stem cells are embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocycts, and adult stem cells found in adult tissues.

In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintaining the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

Adult stem cells are unspecialized, undifferentiated cells which exist in very small numbers among specialized cells in an adult organ or tissue. Their main function is to maintain and periodically repair tissues in which they are found.

Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues, such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Highly plastic adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including the umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, are used in medical therapies.

Embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning also have been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.

The Controversy: When Does Human Life Begin?

The isolation of stem cells took place initially in 1998 and thrust the subject into debate related to the battle over abortion. Isolating embryonic stem cells and destroying an embryo in the process have been raising ethical issues. Most of the debate centers over when life begins.

For instance, is an embryo a person? Should scientists forgo embryonic stem cell research to protect the embryo? Is it ethical to jeopardize a potential life in the name of science? Or should researchers investigate adult stem cell technology only; thereby avoiding the “right-to-life” issues altogether?

The Case For Using Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists think human embryonic stem cells can provide the most immediate opportunity for curing human disease.

“Embryonic stem cells could serve as replacement cells for those that have been lost or destroyed because of disease,” according to Dr. Robert Goldstein, chief scientific officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Adult stem cells are difficult to isolate, and they do not propagate well in culture media. There’s little proof, researchers contend, of a wide array of human adult stem cells which can differentiate into multiple tissue types. However, despite the questions, there is little doubt that most scientists want to research adult and embryonic stem cell research on parallel tracks.

President Obama last March signed an executive order that brought about major change in stem cell research. Obama lifted the ban (imposed by former President George W. Bush) on federal funding to help promote state-of-the art embryonic stem cell research. “We will aim for America to lead the world in discoveries it may one day yield,’’ Obama said.

We support this policy change and believe it may create new employment opportunities within the health care system. With the historic overhaul of America’s health care system just approved, it remains to be seen if funds will be available to support stem cell research.

We applaud this new initiative and hope this progressive thinking will carry forward to other new potential industries.

Still, the question remains: Does and can the United States provide the brain trust and creativity to solve complex answers to fundamental needs and demands? The success of this model represents our ability to grow and prosper as a nation, and ultimately create jobs.

This post is courtesy of TechMan, a contributor who writes about science, health, education and other areas affecting industry, business and technology.