STEM CELLS AND THEIR POTENTIAL USES.

Stem cells are those cells which can give rise to any type of specialized cells by continuous division. Stem cells are the raw material from which all of the bodys mature, differentiated cells are made. Stem cells give rise to brain cells, nerve cells, heart cells, pancreatic cells, etc. Stem cells are found in all multicellular organisms. The bone marrow, peripheral blood, and the umbilical cord blood. The main job of the bone marrow is to make blood cells that circulate in your and immune cells that fight infection. Bone marrow was the first source used for stem cells transplants because it has rich supply of stem cells. The bones of the pelvis contain the most marrow and have large numbers of stem cells in them. So the pelvic bones are used most often for a bone marrow transplant. For a bone marrow transplant, the harvested marrow is filtered, stored in a special solution in bags, and then frozen. When the marrow is to be used, it is thawed and then given just like a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the recipients bone marrow. There, they engraft over time and begin to make new blood cells which can be measured in the patients blood tests in about 2 to 4 weeks. For a peripheral blood stem cell transplant, the stem cells are taken from the blood. A thin flexible tube called a catheter is put into one of the donors veins and attached to tubing that goes to a special machine which separates the blood, and keeps only the stem cells. The rest of the blood goes back to the donor. This takes several hours, and may need to be repeated for a few days to get enough stem cells. Next the stem cells are filtered, stored in bags, and frozen until the patient is ready for them. After the patient with chemo, the stem cells are given in an infusion much like a blood transfusion. The stem cells travel to the bone marrow, engraft, and then grow and make new, normal blood cells. The new cells are usually found in the patients blood a few days, usually in about 10 to 20 days. Not everyone who needs an allogeneic stem cell transplant can find a well-matched donor. For these patients, umbilical cord blood maybe a potential source of stem cells. Around 30% of unrelated hematopoietic stem cells transplants now come from cord blood. After birth, the blood that is left behind in the placenta and umbilical cord can be taken and stored for later use in stem cell transplant. The cord blood is frozen until needed.

All three sources of stem cells can be used for the same goal. At first all stem cell transplants done were bone marrow transplants. But today peripheral blood stem cell transplant are far more common. There are some procedures to obtain stem cells. One method is by obtaining spare embryos. Normal menstrual cycle is blocked temporarily. (Pituitary gland activity is suppressed by injection of a drug. Synthetic FSH is injected- ovaries are stimulated to develop many egg cells (superovulation). Male (partner or donor) provides semen sample. Sample is processed to concentrate the healthiest sperm. Several egg cells are removed from the ovaries using laparoscope positioned with the aid of ultrasound. Eggs are mixed with the sperms in a shallow dish. Checked by microscope examination to ensure fertilization. Zygotes then incubated at body temperature for 2-3 days. Microscopic examination to confirm that embryos have reached the 4 to 8 cell stage. Up to three embryos are transferred into the uterus in the expectation that one will implant successfully. Alternatively embryos can be frozen for future use. Opposition to the use of human embryos for research is mostly based on the ethical issues, particularly the destruction of human embryos before or during research. Different people in many different classes of society have different opinions based on the strongly held beliefs and values. Despite the possibility of important therapeutic advances, some believe that any activity that results in the destructionof human embryos is morally problematic. There were a number of legitimate but incompatible views on the moral and legal status of the human embryo. In June 2000 with the completion of the mapping of the human genome, and the publication of the human genetic blueprint, it was confirmed that the human embryo from the moment of conception possesses a complete and distinct human being. Human rights activists are concerned that if scientists can perform embryo experiments on human persons who are a few weeks old, there may be no stopping scientists who want to experiment on older humans -- even newborns, infants, humans and adults. The promise of stem cell research is significant and important. However, innumerous issues arise from these researches. Firstly, with the advancements of technology today, scientists are able to generate embryos in laboratories, namely In Vitro Fertilization clinics. Although this brings hope to the infertile couple, generating embryos to

obtain their stem cells is morally wrong as personhood begins with the process of fertilization. While it is clear that it is ethical to do research on humans and while it is clear that humans can donate body parts for research, it is another thing to generate human embryos exclusively for research. What is more, as with all other research efforts, particularly in the area of genetics, stem cell research offers great promise for the cure of diseases. However, the success of such research will be extremely costly and the product of such research will also be costly because investors will be seeking an adequate return on their investment. As a result, only persons who are insured or whose insurance would cover the treatment and those who can afford it would be the only subjects benefiting from these betterments in science. Additionally, the cost of such treatment in both experimental and therapeutic stages is unaffordable. This kind of research is time consuming and labor intensive. Even those who have good insurance plans will have difficulties because of the continued restriction on what will be covered by such plans and a growing reluctance to fund experimental therapies and it therefore, narrows the number of possible beneficiaries again.

REFERENCES http://www.wpi.edu/News/Transformations/2003Spring/stemcell.html http://cbhd.org/content/human-embryo-research-after-genome http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/ethics.asp http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/3/813