The Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research
Advancement of the stem cell research is welcomed today, as the need for generation of new healthy cells for different muscles and nerve tissues is great and never seems to be ceasing. Stem cell research holds the major and brightest hopes for the future of ground-breaking discoveries in the field of medicine. Stem cells are vitally important for human body as their major functions include producing repair mechanism, refilling some of the cells, and the maintenance of the turnover of the regenerative organs. However, stem cell research has always been surrounded by scandalous debates related to ethical issues involved.
Cell biology has been a great interest of different scientists and practitioners since the creation of the first microscope, which was approximately in the 1860s. It was discovered that cells are building blocks and repair mechanisms of any living being. Moreover, the encoded information they contain can tell a lot about human body development.
At the beginning of the 19th century the scientists discovered the existence of different types of blood cells (e.g. white blood cells, red blood cells, etc.) and that all were coming from specific stem cells.
Only in 1963 Canadian researches Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till registered "the first quantitative descriptions of the self-renewing activities of transplanted mouse bone marrow cells" (Stem Cell Research: History par. 2). Since then the scientists have been conducting different studies in adult stem cells on human beings and animals as well as carrying out tests on animals. Since 1950's transplants of adult stem cells began to be used in medicine, particularly with patients who suffered because of exposure of emissions and radiations and those who received chemotherapy.
After the first morrow transplant conducted in 1973, National Organ Transplant Act was ratified...