Stem cell research pros and cons

What are Stem Cells and stem cell research pros and cons?

The stem cell research pros and cons has received much controversy in the media lately. Stem cells, very different from "differentiated" cells, in recent years offer big hope in health treatments and general medical advancement because of the ability of stem cells to grow into any kind of cells (well, almost).

For example, if the cells in the spinal cord or brain (called neural cells) have been damaged, they could be replaced by stem cells. Also, recent research of cancer treatment has shown that cells that get damaged or destroyed by radiation can be replaced by stem cells which then adapt to affected tissue in almost any organ or part of the body.
It seems that almost any kind of dead cells, no matter what type of disease or injury destroyed them, can be replaced with healthy stem cells.

Where do stem cells come from (reason for stem cell research)

Stem cells come from three main sources: adult cells, cord cells and embryonic cells. These sources are the main factor in understanding stem cell research pros and con. Stems extracted from peripheral system or bone marrow (rich source of stem cells) are called adult stem cells. However, this procedure is painful and some damage to the bones is inevitable.
Other procedure which takes more time, will result in the extraction of peripheral stem cells. These adult stem cells are superior to the embryonic stem cells because they come from patient's own body.

Second very rich source of stem cells is the umbilical cord. Umbilical cord stem cells can be extracted only during pregnancy and are them stored in cell banks for future use. This type of stem cells can also be used by the baby's parents without being rejected. Umbilical cord is one of the riches sources of stem cells, richer than adult cells or embryonic cells and these cells are stored for transferability in the future

Embryonic Cells

Embryonic stem cells are the reason for controversy and the debate about stem cell research pros and cons. This type of stem cells can only be extracted directly from the embryo just before the cells of the embryo start to differentiate. In this stage, the embryo has about 100 cells, most of which are stem cells.

After extraction, embryonic stem cells are grown in cultures and their numbers can double every few days. Since the genetic material in this case comes from same human egg they are called "stem cell line".
In August 2001. President Bush gave permission to research stem cell lines, and granted funding.

Those who value human life from the time of conception are opposed to embryonic stem cell research because the extraction of these stem cells from the embryo destructs the embryo. Some opponents think this procedure is equal to murder. On the other hand, embryonic research advocated claim that the tiny embryo, in the stage in which the stem cells can be extracted, has no human features.

They claim that human lives are not created only for the purpose of experimentation, since new stem cell lines already exists because of in vitro fertilization.

Some even argue that funds pored into embryonic stem cell research are funds that are, in matter a fact, taken from other two types of stem cell researches (adult and umbilical cells).