Stem Cell Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions
Stem Cell Therapy is characterised by controversies that emanate from several contra-findings. Currently influenced by political debates, it is hard to know what’s true and what is not. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the topic.
1. What is stem therapy?
Stem cell therapy is simply a procedure that involves the use of blank state cells to regenerate damaged tissues in both humans and animals. These empty state cells can change to other cells that include, bone, muscle, nerve as well as organ cells.
This gives them the ability to regenerate tissues that are damaged vital for treatments of several complications such as spinal cord injury, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc, motor neurone disease and many others.
2. Is it legal to use embryonic cells?
Yes, it is legal. However, funding by federal governments only targets research that follows strict guidelines. It isn’t wrong to go beyond these guidelines, but doing this will be excluded from federal funding. President Obama tried to loosen these restrictions in 2009 without success.
According to law, research that involves creating new stem cell lines can receive federal funding. This means that carrying out the research outside the guidelines will require the organisation concerned to find its way of funding it.
3. What is the response of proponents to embryonic stem cell criticism?
Proponents claim that destroying an embryo after extraction of stem cells isn’t unethical as it is claimed to be. This is because the embryo is often destroyed when the donor no longer needs them to reproduce.
When done with the embryos, the donors have an option of killing the ones left, donating them to other women in need of it or donating them to science. The embryos used in this procedure are the ones that were to be destroyed.
4. Are there any other kinds of stem cell therapies?
Yes. There are other types of stem cell therapies that don’t use embryonic cells. Stem cells can also be obtained in other places that include, adult umbilical cords, bone marrow as well as blood. It has also been noticed that healthy human cells can also be engineered to function the same way.
- What is the reason of going on with the embryonic stem cell research that is controversial if the cells can be obtained from adults?
Unlike, adult cells, embryonic cells aren’t limited. Embryonic cells have the ability to become any other cells in the human body. Adult cells aren’t also dependable when it comes to creating new motor neurones. However, they can successfully work for replacing the spinal disc, bone tissue, cartilage or muscle.
6. What are the risks associated with this therapy?
Currently, the research that has targeted the therapy is still shallow. However, it has been noticed that the practice can increase the risks of cancer in patients receiving the treatment. Cancer results from cells that multiply faster and cannot self-destruct even when something goes wrong.
Stem cells, on the other hand, stimulates rapid multiplication of cells, and they tend to be a little hesitant when it comes to self-destruction.
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