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Mario Pacheco

1301-708

December 7, 2021

Stem Cell Research: Key to Human Longevity

Albert Einstein, a world famous scientist once said, “The discovery of the nuclear chain

need not bring about the destruction of mankind any more than did the discovery of matches.”

Why should we treat the discovery of how to use stem cells or the process of harvesting them as

an attack on humanity? The issue before us has its basis in political and religious doctrine. Many

doctors and researchers have praised the great leaps that have been taken since the first stem

embryonic stem cell was derived from early mouse embryos nearly 30 years ago, in 1981.

Religious and pro-life groups have also had their opinions heard and most are against any

experiments that involve stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are harvested in two ways one from

aborted fetuses which many prolife groups believe to be murder and the other from embryos

fertilized in a lab, pro-lifers again argue that these embryos being fertilized constitute human life

and therefore experimenting on them is tantamount to murder. Umbilical Cord Blood and

Placental stem cells are discarded at birth and do not harm any humans. Adult stem cells are also

available unfortunately; these cells have matured and are specialized. Is stem research good or

bad? We will explore both sides of this argument. President Obama’s lifting of the federal

funding ban on stem cell research on March, 9, 2009 will allow the scientific community to

utilize stem cells to their maximum potential(Obama,2009). President Obama stated:

At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown, and it

should not be overstated. But scientists believe these tiny cells may have the

potential to help us understand, and possibly cure, some of our most devastating
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diseases and conditions. To regenerate a severed spinal cord and lift someone

from a wheelchair. To spur insulin production and spare a child from a lifetime of

needles. To treat Parkinson’s, cancer, heart disease and others that affect millions

of Americans and the people who love them”(Obama,2009).

Stem cell research will lead to advancements in organ production, disease control, medicinal

effectiveness, and human genetics which will far out way any religious or political

disagreements. All classification of stem cells offer many potential benefits. Some of the benefits

are:

 May help scientists better understand how tissues develop and what goes wrong when

those tissues become diseased.

 A better understanding of the properties of stem cells may give scientists more

information about how cancer cells replace themselves and thus helps scientists develop

more targeted cancer therapies.

 Stem cells could be used to grow human tissues to test the effects of drugs and chemicals.

 Stem cells may be used to replace healthy cells that are killed by radiation treatment for

cancer.

 Stem cells may be used to replace tissues.

There are many examples of how stem cells have been used with success. Many will

argue that the benefits are not significant enough to overcome the moral and ethical argument.

Stem cell research is in its infant stage and even the most minuscule discovery will yield a great

deal of information. It is important to note that at the moment there are many incurable diseases

and disorders. Researchers from all around the world are studying individual ailments in order to

find cures. There are universities that have departments whose main focus is stem cell research.
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Stanford University has a cancer center devoted to the identification and eradication of the

disease. Cancer stem cells are rare cells within tumors with the ability to self-renew. Stanford

Scientists, Irv Weissman, MD, isolated human leukemia and human breast cancer stem cells,

their efforts are now close to isolating stem cells for brain cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma, and

bladder cancer. Dr. M. F. Clarke's laboratory was the first to identify cancer stem cells in a solid

tumor, breast cancer. His laboratory has subsequently identified cancer stem cells in other solid

tumors. These findings can be exploited to improve the outcome of patients with cancers of

epithelial origin, the major cause of cancer related mortality (Al-Hagg, Wicha, Benito-

Hernadez, Morrison, & Clarke, 2003) .

C.J. Chiu, a professor of cardiothoracic surgery at McGill University Health Center in

Montreal, injected a type of stem cell from bone marrow, called a stromal cell, into the hearts of

rats. These cells differentiated into new heart muscle that made the right connections to nearby

cells so they could all beat together. Cardiologists from Johns Hopkins University biopsied tiny

amounts of tissue from pig’s hearts after they induced a heart attack, they extracted the stem

cells, transplanted them into the heart. After two months, the cells had developed into mature

heart cells and vessel-forming endothelial cells, repairing the damage (Chiu, 2003).

A team led by University of Florida immunologist Ammon Peck permanently cured

insulin-dependent diabetes in mice, with stem cells from adult pancreatic ducts. The stem cells

differentiated in vitro into the insulin producing structures called the islets of Langerhans. These

islets were injected under the skin of adult mice with IDD, and they functioned as a pancreas,

releasing insulin, and blood vessels developed toward them. In a week or so, the mice could

regulate their blood glucose levels again. Dr Peck said.”Our first observation was the fact that
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one can take a single stem cell and induce it to grow and differentiate into a full-functioning

organ, containing all the differentiated, end-stage cells found in the exocrine pancreas.”

Bone marrow stem cells have also been used to rebuild a woman’s windpipe. Claudia Castillo, a

30-year-old Colombian mother of two living in Barcelona, Spain, suffered respiratory damage

from tuberculosis, which also clogged her windpipe. A pan-European surgical team obtained a

seven-centimeter tracheal segment from a 51-year-old transplant donor who had died of cerebral

hemorrhage. They removed all the donor cells and antigens leave the connective tissue

‘skeleton’. Then they obtained bone marrow cells from Castillo, cultured into a large population,

some were matured into cartilage cells (chrondrocytes) by a method devised by Professor

Anthony Hollander at the University of Bristol, and others were used to generate epithelial cells.

These cells were then seeded into donor trachea on the outside, while the epithelial cells were

seeded on the inside to form the lining. Four days later, this manufactured windpipe was used to

replace Castillo's left bronchus. A month after that, it bled during a biopsy, showing that blood

vessels had already grown back normally. Martin Birchall, Professor of Surgery at the University

of Bristol, stated: “Surgeons can now start to see and understand the very real potential for adult

stem cells and tissue engineering to radically improve their ability to treat patients with serious

diseases. We believe this success has proved that we are on the verge of a new age in surgical

care “(Randerson, 2003).

A team led by Jean Toma and Freda Miller at McGill University’s Montreal Neurological

Institute, Canada, grew stem cells from skin (the dermis) into smooth muscle cells, fat cells and

brain cells. They were successful with stem cells from mouse skin and from human scalp. 

Muscle stem cells have been grown into muscles themselves, as well as components such as

connective tissue, blood vessels and nerves. Researchers have injected such stem cells into mice
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with a disease similar to Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and much of the wasted muscles

regenerated, so that up to 20% of the muscle mass came from the stem cells (Ringe, K aps ,

B ermis ter, & S ittinger, 2002) . Although this treatment is still in the early days it has

given promising results. The above examples demonstrate the benefits of stem cell research. The

examples demonstrate the facts on how everyday people are benefitting from stem cells. There

have been many outspoken proponent of stem cell research, such as:

 U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah on July 23, 2006, commenting on President Bush's veto of

federal funding for stem cell research using human embryos, CBS News Sunday

Morning with Charles Osgood:

I understand that many have ethical and moral reservations about stem cell

research, but for the same reason I describe myself as pro-life, I embrace

embryonic stem cell research because I believe being pro-life is not only caring

for the unborn but also caring for the living.

 Bill Frist, former U.S. senator and Republican majority leader from Tennessee on

July 29, 2005, in a speech on the Senate floor:

I am pro-life. I believe human life begins at conception. I also believe that

embryonic stem cell research should be encouraged and supported. ... An embryo

is nascent human life. This position is consistent with my faith. But, to me, it isn't

just a matter of faith. It's a fact of science.

One of the more promising arguments for stem cell research was given by the James Thomson,

first scientist to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, on June 2005, in response to a question

on how he feels about the moral implications of using components of human life for future

embryonic stem cell research, in an interview with MSNBC's Alan Boyle:

[T]he bottom line is that there are 400,000 frozen embryos in the United States,

and a large percentage of those are going to be thrown out. Regardless of what

you think the moral status of those embryos is, it makes sense to me that it's a

better moral decision to use them to help people than just to throw them out. It is a

very complex issue, but to me it boils down to that one thing.

People are starting the realize just how important stem cell research is, they are starting to

experience it first hand with the coming of age of baby boomers. As people get older they are

prone to the incurable diseases due to a weakened immune system. These are what stem cell

research is working to cure.

Society as a whole has begun to remove the self imposed moral and ethical veil for the

scientific and logical approach. Even with factual data and living examples of the advancement

of stem cells, there are still plenty of detractors. They still make their decision based on their

religious and political beliefs and not on the evidence. Prominent politicians and religious leaders

are guiding the charge against stem cell research of any kind. The subsequent are quotes from a

diverse cross section of society followed by rebuttals:

 Pope Benedict XVI on Sept. 18, 2006, in an address to an international congress

sponsored by the Pontifical Academy for Life and the International Federation of

Catholic Medical Associations:

The destruction of human embryos to harvest stem cells is "not only devoid of the

light of God but is also devoid of humanity" and "does not truly serve humanity.

 President George W. Bush on Aug. 9, 2001, in an address to the nation on stem

cell research.
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An ethicist ... told me that [a] cluster of cells is the same way you and I,

and all the rest of us, started our lives. One goes with a heavy heart if we

use these [embryonic stem cells], he said, because we are dealing with the

seeds of the next generation.

The mere fact that there are now advancements in technology to where animals and

organs can be cloned from stem cells scares the prolife community. They believe that anyone

other than God being able to produce human organs or animals is unnatural and it is taking God

out of the picture. Despite the fact of how much they despise stem cell research, some religions

“have found room in their traditions for therapeutic use of adult cells” (Sullivan). Even though

different religions believe in different things, “most Jews and Muslims don't consider a fertilized

embryo to have full human status, which essentially gives a green light to stem cell research”

(Engdahl).

Stem cell research should not be the only thing on our mind when we are trying to figure

out if it is morally right, we also need to take into consideration the consequences of not acting.

The medical benefits that derive from stem cell research will allow people to live a longer life.

Stem cells will improve the ability of doctors and scientist to fully understand why cells become

diseased. Patients should not have to suffer because of someone’s beliefs. Leaders around the

world need to take notice and realize that they too may someday need stem cells to cure them.

The supernatural exist in peoples own beliefs, they should not impose that on society. Human

evolution also involves innovation. Stem cells have proven their effectiveness in real life

conditions as stated by my examples. Politics and religion aside society must look at this issue

from a human stand point and see that the benefits of saving lives and curing diseases truly do

outweigh the arguments against.

Citations

Al-Hagg, M, Wicha , M S, Benito-Hernadez, A, Morrison, S J, &

Clarke, M F. (2003). Prospective identification of tumorigenic

breast cancer cells. The National Academy of the Sciences,

100(7), 3983-3988.

C hiu, C J. (2003). Bone- marrow s tem cells as a s ource for cell

therapy.   H ear t Failur e Review , 8(3), 247-251.

Obama, B. (2009, March 09). Remarks of President Barack Obama –

Signing of stem cell executive order and scientific integrity

Presidential memorandum. Retrieved from

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/remarks-of-the-

president-as-prepared-for-delivery-signing-of-stem-cell-executive-order-and

scientific-integrity-presidential-memorandum/

Randerson, J. (2003, January 11). Stem cells fix the damage.  New

Scientist, 177(2377), 14.

Ringe, J, Kaps, C, Bermister, G, & Sittinger, M. (2002). Stem cells

for regenerative medicine: advances in the engineering of tissues

and organs.Naturwissenschaften, 89(10.1007), 338-351.

Sullivan, Bob. "Religious Views of Stem cell Do Not Agree.

" Contemporary Issues Companion: Stem cell. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl.

Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006

Vestal, C, Masci, D, & Ralston, M. (2008). Special report:

embryonic stem cell research. The Pew Forum on Religion and

Citations

Public Life, Retrieved from http://pewforum.org/docs/?

DocID=316