Embryonic Stem Cells

Image via Scientific American

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent stem cells from the blastocyst  of an embryo. For humans this is about 4 days after the egg is fertilized. Pluripotent cells are cells that are able to turn into any type of cell necessary in the body. They are valuable today because they are able to be used as a replacement for damaged tissue and research in understanding disease and finding drugs that may treat it. Growing these cells in certain organs are also useful in testing drugs. I think that embryonic stem cells should be able to be used in research and therapy as long as the donor is willing to give up her embryo, if the embryo is leftover from abortion or if it is a spare from In Vitro Fertilization (which is where an egg is manually fertilized). Using embryonic stem means having lower immunogenicity (immune response) compared to adult somatic stem cells which are scarce and have less pluripotency and induced pluripotent cells which have a high chance of immune system rejection. Through many case studies done on both animals and humans, embryonic stem cell treatments are proven to be safe and successful. (check out these studies to see some examples: Somatic-cell Nuclear Transfer; Human embryonic stem cells in the treatment of patients with spinal cord injury; Safety of human embryonic stem cells in patients with terminal/incurable conditions; Immunological Properties of Corneal Epithelial-Like Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells). Those even in medical fields are shown to lack in background knowledge of the ethical implications and research in general of these cells (Perception and Knowledge About Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Research: A Survey Amongst Researchers and Medical Practitioners in Perinatology) showing that many opinions and perspectives usually do not have sufficient evidence. In the USA embryonic stem cells have had multiple regulations regarding research, showing the gap in communication between policy makers and researchers as well. By closing this gap and educating those on the pros and cons of embryonic stem cells, the overall health of the population could benefit.