Stem Cell Research (for) speech essays

Stem Cell Research (for) speech essays When Dr. James Thomson succeeded in isolating human embryonic stem cells in 1998, he probably did not suspect that his unusual discovery, would fan the flames of new discussions over the sacredness of human life. Named the Breakthrough of the Year for 1999 by the prestigious journal Science, human embryonic stem cell research has the potential to benefit many people, who suffer from serious debilitating conditions. His unique research laid the foundation for a new frontier, in the daily fight against disability and disease, he opened a window of hope, for sufferers of spinal cord injurys, diabetes, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, as well as many other ailments affecting a large segment of humanity. The reason for the intense interest in this type of research, is the fact that stem cells seem to be able to transform into any of the diverse types of cells in the human body. Researchers think that, with increased knowledge of the human genome, they might be able to coax these stem cells into creating the spare ingredients needed for the eventual treatment, and cure, of the above-named physical ailments. Imagine: muscle cells, skin cells, liver cells, heart cells, even brain cells created on demand. The idea of therapeutic cloning, arises largely in response to obstacles encountered, by scientists doing research on embryonic stem cells. The million dollar question is, how to transplant cells or tissues derived from an embryo, into a patient, without that patient rejecting the implanted material? Obtaining cells from an embryo, which has been cloned using the patients own DNA avoids any risk of tissue rejection, which would be likely to occur if stem cells were derived from non-cloned embryos. For example, a patient suffering from severe burns could have embryos cloned using genetic material derived from his or her own cells. If the stem cells obtained from these cloned embryos could be coaxed into becomin...