As medical science has advanced over the past decades, the techniques for treating illness have become more and more sophisticated, and therapies and even cures for conditions once thought untreatable are no longer outside of the realm of possibility. One of the most promising--as well as the most controversial--new therapies involves embryonic stem cells, and research in this area shows considerable promise toward fighting some of the worst diseases we face today.
History
In 1964, researchers studying a particularly virulent form of cancer discovered that one of the reasons it was able to spread so quickly was because of so-called stem cells, cells that could divide and grow into many different types of final forms. This discovery led to research into human reproduction, and it was soon discovered that this same basic mechanism took place in the earliest stages of human life. By the 1980s, embryonic stem cells had been harvested from mice, and in the late 1990s the technique expanded to include human trials.
Embryonic Stem Cells
An embryonic stem cell is a sort of "blank" cell, one that can be programmed to grow into any other type of cell the body needs. When a fetus initially forms, it is merely a bundle of these stem cells, and over the weeks of development they differentiate into specialized cells to form muscles, the nervous system, the circulatory system an all other tissues. It is this potential versatility that has led to the interest in medical therapies involving these cells.
Using Stem Cells
One of the most promising areas of stem cell research involves neurological disorders. Under normal circumstances, the nervous system is incapable of healing itself, unlike other parts of the body. In the case of disease or injury, patients can be left with impaired motor function, paralysis or other disorders. Stem cells, however, can be used to create brand-new neurological cells and tissue, and in theory could be used to repair damage and restore normal function. Another potential use is creating new insulin-generating cells for transplant into the pancreas of patients with diabetes, in effect curing their condition.
Concerns
The issue of embryonic stem cells has been a hotly contested one in the political arena. The fact that these cells are taken from developing embryos has led some to argue that it involves the destruction of human life and should be outlawed, a position with which President George Bush sympathized, banning government-sponsored research in this field during his presidency. Proponents argued that stem cell lines had been taken from discarded embryos used in fertility treatments, and were not the result of destroying viable life.
The Future
In 2009, President Barack Obama loosened the regulations his predecessor had set regarding the government funding of stem cell research, allowing work on this potential therapy to move forward once more. This, coupled with new advances in the use of non-embryonic stem cells, offers considerable hope to those facing illnesses once thought incurable.
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