Stem cell research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Stem cell - Research Paper Example However, in an embryo that is developing, stem cells can differentiate into a large number of specialized cells and may maintain the normal output of those organs, which regenerate such as blood and skin. The main difference between stem cells and other cells in the body is the fact that they are able to differentiate into other types of cells or tissues. This ability allows them to replace the cells that have died, moreover, this has been used by scientists to replace those cells that are defective in patients who have diseases and effects that cannot be effectively cured by other forms of medicine (Dresser 181). â€Å"Scientists believe that stem cells, from which all other types of cells can grow, will help cure Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, spinal injuries, congestive heart failure and other maladies† (Kelley). The usage of stem cells, especially embryonic stem cells in the cure of diseases such as Parkinson’s disease has come to breed a lot of controversy, and there has been a great deal of support for those who are for it and for those who are against it. There are different types of stem cells andmany different terms have been used to describe them, and these descriptions tend to come from the area of the body or the state of development from which they have come. Among the different stem cell forms are the following: tissue stem cells, fetal stem cells, cord blood stem cells, embryonic stem cells and finally, induced pluripotent stem cells. Moreover, many adult stem cells can substitute cells that die or restore tissues that have been damaged in injuries and such adult tissues as skin and muscle have their own stem cells, and in the bone marrow, blood-forming stem cells help in the production of blood cells. It is yet to be determined whether all organs have stem cells and it can, therefore, be said that the term adult stem cells is used very broadly and may contain other categories of stem cells, which are not necess arily found in adults. There are certain accepted stem cell therapies in the medical field, which require the use of stem cells, which are tissue specific. These tissue stemcells used in these therapies include the bone marrow and cord blood stem cell transplantation, which treat diseases related to blood or the restoration of blood after treatments of such conditions as cancer. In this situation, the tissue stem cells are used to mend the parts of the body from which these cells came. Another adult stem cell type is the mesenchymal stem cells, which are found in a number of tissues, and they are speculated to be able to produce bone, cartilage, and fat (Siegel 215). This has yet to be proven for human beings, but there is ongoing research on animals to determine whether these cells can be used to treat such conditions as bone fractures that do not normally heal. In addition, there is a possibility that these cells or cells that are similar to them play a role in altering the immune system in response to injury. Fetal stem cells are those, whichare taken from the fetus, which is a developing baby that has gone approximately ten weeks into gestation. The majority of the tissues in the fetus include cells that can help in the swift growth and maturity of organs and are extremely much like adult stem cells, which are often tissue specific. The fetus stem cells often produce the cell types that are mature inside the organ from which they were