“Stem Cell Research” is a term that has yielded plenty of promising results over the past 10 years. Stem cells are tiny cells that contain the information needed to develop a minuscule embryo into a fully functioning living organism. These cells can be extracted from embryos in early stages of development and can be used to grow or regenerate a wide range of tissue. Although stem cell research is a relatively new science, many experts agree that much is to be gained.
“Stem cells seem to remind the body that is knows how to heal itself,” (A) says William Haseltine, referring to the studies in which stem cells are injected into a patient in order to stimulate growth of lost or damaged tissue. Recent studies have shown great progress in treating a wide range of diseases.
The process by which stem cells are used to regenerate tissue is quite complicated. If one were to try to regenerate skin, for example, they would first have to isolate the nucleus of a skin cell of a donor. Then the nucleus must be implanted into
So far, most of the research has been performed on lab mice. Researchers have successfully isolated stem cells that seem to play an important role in the repairing of heat disease. There have also been promising results in treating of diabetes. Stem cell research has not just been limited to the rodents there have been several human studies. For example a woman named Sylvia Elam had undergone several surgeries since her massive stroke in 1992. She had been wheelchair bound ever since that day and had lost most of her ability to speak. Her condition had been steadily deteriorating and her husband had seen enough of her suffering. They consented for Sylvia to become one of the first 12 humans to have neuron cells, created in a laboratory from stem cells, implanted into her brain. A quarter-sized hole was drilled into her head and a syringe containing six million neuronal cells was inserted into her cortex, which in turn injected these cells into her damaged brain. Her recovery was amazing; within two months she was out o