|  | Public Health Safety | Medical Research

What Are Harvest Stem Cells & Human Embryos?

A topic that has been a source of political and social controversy is stem cell research. There are extremists on both sides of the debate. Many people seem to have opinions on the subject even if they do not know how the process takes place. To better understand the process of stem cell research you need to have an understanding of the human embryo.

  1. Human Embryos

    • The term embryo is often used to describe a fertilized egg anytime between conception and four weeks. When a sperm cell first fertilizes an egg, their nuclei combine to make a zygote. Over the next three to four days it dives into sixteen undifferentialted cells, says BabyCenter.com. It will then begin to implant itself into the uterus where it will be nourished during the course of pregnancy. At this point the embyro is referred to as a blastocyst. Most embryos that are used in research are created in a laboratory, and are not fertilized in a woman’s body, says the National Institute for Health Resources for Stem Cell Research (NIH).

    Harvest Stem Cells

    • The term “Harvest Stem Cells” refers to undifferentiated cells that are harvested from an area in the body of a human being and not an embryo. Harvest refers to the product that is actually taken from the body, but the scientific term is Somatic cells. According to the NIH, Somatic Cells have the purpose of repairing the tissue in which they are found, such as bone marrow, the brain and the heart.

    Controversy

    • The controversy surrounding stem cell research is many faceted. Pro-life groups argue that the embryo is a living human being, and that the harvest of such is murder. This argument gives rise to even further debate regarding whether humans are to be considered alive at birth or conception. Some fear that donated embryos may be given to women hoping to conceive, but the International Society for Stem Cell Research assures that that will never happen. Various religious sects have just as varied standpoints on the issue for both sides.

    Benefits

    • Stem cells can become other types of cells and repair areas that cannot repair themselves such as muscle and brain tissue. In the past, the only way to treat a patient with an irreparable heart was to replace it with a donor organ, but there are more patients in need of new organs than actual donors. Stem cells give the damaged heart the ability to repair what is not working by growing new cells. Neurological diseases that were once thought untreatable may now be treated or cured with stem cells.

    Legislation

    • There have been numerous pieces of legislation that have regarded the legalities of stem cell research. Research has been both stopped and crippled at various times by the U.S. government. As of March 9, 2009, President Barak Obama issued an executive order that would allow federal funding for stem cell research and lift past limitations in the United States.

Medical Research - Related Articles