What are stem cells?

 What are stem cells?

Figure 1- Development of an Adult stem.

According to Stem Cells Australia the human body contains more that 200 different kinds of specialized cells, including the muscle cells, nerve cells, fat cells and skin cells. Stem cells are resembling cells that can be divided to produce offspring cells. Specialized cells originate from stem cells, and are different from normal cells in two different ways. Stem cells are capable of renewing and making copies of them selves, as well as dividing cells to produce more specific cell types such as tissues and organs. (Tissue cells can repair and replace infected cells in the body). Stem cells include the essential part of human development as they repair injuries (scars, broken bones,etc) and are included of our ageing process. 

Figure 1- Shows the possible development into specialized cells.

Different Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells are formed when an female egg cell and sperm cell fuse, the process after continues as the zygote divides into a two cells ‘embryo’ and so on. Embryonic stem cells give rise to every cell type (all tissues and organs) in the fully matured body apart from the placenta and umbilical cord. According to Embryonic stem cells are very valuable because they provide  renewable resource for studying normal development and disease, as well as testing drugs and other therapies. 

Adult stem cells also known as tissue specific stem cells, are found specifically in the tissue or organ. The job of a stem cells is to replace cells from that tissue that are lost during the day or when injures, such as those in your skin, blood, and the lining of your gut.

Pluripotent cells have the ability to make cells in our body layers and produce any cell or tissue the body needs to repair itself. Pluripotent cells are able to remake/create more copies of themselves. 

(http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org/learn-about-stem-cells/types-of-stem-cells)

Therapeutic Potential of stem cells

Figure 3- Shows the influence of stem cells to the human body.
http://www.efpia.eu/topics/innovation/stem-cells

From the information above we found out that; all stem cells in our body have a specific function and are known to control our body's health. For example embryonic stem cells developed into cells from the organ it protects and adult cells grow to become different cells. On the positive side both adult and embryonic stem cells repel diseases. Coming to a conclusion, adult stem cells are more effective in controlling what goes on in the body's health as they are known to develop into different cells and will be more reliable to repel diseases. 

Ethical Issue of Stem Cell Therapy 

Figure 3- Portraying the message about the ethical issues.

With the recent discovery of lowering the risks of many diseases there are unfortunately ethical issues. During my research I have come across many cites mentioning the different embryo stem cell therapies. Embryo is formed from a sperm cell and an egg cell, as mentioned above. Embryo stem cells are the primary steps to the development of an organism. Discussions made around the world include the following;  People are acting as if they are god, as they create life by them self. The most popular ethical issue discussed is that stem cell therapy is considered to be “murder”, “value of a human life”  Although on the other hand the people who argue against this topic, claim that embryos are just cells clumped together and can't be considered to be life as "early pre-implantation stage embryos do not have the psychological, physiological, emotional or intellectualproperties that we associate with personhood". The view towards this ethical issue depends on the different religions. The majority believe that a human embryo has a right to live its own life, if interested http://www.eurostemcell.org/files/Human_ES_ethics_1.pdf