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Wednesday, 13 February 2019

What Stem Cell Research Facilities Do And Why You Should Get Excited About It

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By Christopher Wood


It can sometimes be difficult to decipher all the news that the medical community comes out with. A lot of it seems exciting, even though there are those who consider some the latest technology controversial, for moral and religious reasons. What stem cell research facilities do, and why it's so valuable, is easier to understand when it you break it down.

Understanding what stem cells are is the first step. In the simplest terms, these cells are the tree trunks that sprout branches that have special functions. Researchers have learned how to divide the trunks into two different branches. These are daughter cells that can grow into other trunks, self-renewing, or create entirely new branches, with differentiation, that have specialized functions. These might be bone, blood, heart muscle, or brain cells. These trunks, or stems, are the only cells in the human body that are capable of naturally generating new kinds of cells.

Researchers can begin to understand how individual diseases develop by watching these particular cells grow. The science of regenerating or replacing human cells in such a way that it restores their normal function is known as regenerative medicine. It is possible to use stems to create specific cells that can regenerate or repair tissue that is damaged or diseased.

There are any number of diseases, that don't currently have cures, that might be eradicated. These include type 1 diabetes, cancer, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and strokes, among many others. Transplants have the potential of becoming viable with the use of new tissue that is grown from stems. Researchers are working on applications that may be useful for regenerative and transplant medicine.

Researchers can test news drugs with the use of stems. Rather than experimenting on human beings, researchers study these cells in order to learn whether they are safe for use in humans and how well the drugs work. Cardiac toxicity is an area that is showing great promise.

Scientists are currently studying how effective stems, that have been programmed to develop into cells that are specific to tissue, are for testing new drugs. For the sake of accuracy, these cells have to be programmed to replicate the kinds of cells the drug is supposed to target. For instance, tests on certain cells could show what effect a new drug has on them and whether it alters them.

Researchers get the stems from several different sources, some of which are controversial. Embryonic cells are harvested from embryos that are less than a week old. These cells have the ability to divide into more stems or into any other type of cell found in the human body, making them versatile. These are the cells that have raised the ethical issues that bother so many people.

It is possible to mimic the properties that are found in embryonic cells. Scientists have also learned how to change genes in adult cells, using genetic reprogramming, so they mimic embryonic stems. Although is it still uncertain whether the new technology will negatively affect the human body, it may be effective in preventing the body's immune system from rejecting the new cells.




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