Stem Cell Research: What it is and the Implications Behind It

Background:

Imagine a treatment so useful that it is able to treat a wide variety of diseases, but so controversial that it is barely used. This is what stem cell therapy is... Stem cells from which other specialized cells are generated from. These specialized cells include cells such as nerve cells, liver cells, cardiac cells, and blood cells. There are 2 main ways these cells are acquired: either from the human embryo or from adult tissues like bone marrow or fat. Stem cells taken from the embryo can divide into a lot more kinds of cells than stem cells from adults, and that's why they are so much more valuable. Stem cell therapy is conducted by turning stem cells into the certain kind of cell that is required for the condition (i.e. a heart muscle cell, if heart disease is being treated), and then injecting the cells where it needs to go. These cells would replace the dying ones in that area, and help repair the damaged tissue. This treatment is useful because it lets doctors essentially form any type of cell that they need, which can solve many diseases by replacing the damaged cells with new stem cells.

Problems with Stem Cell Therapy:

There are 2 big problems surrounding stem cell research: the ethical side and the financial side. While bone marrow stem cell research is not that controversial, the complete opposite is true about embryonic stem cell research. The biggest reason behind this concern is because it involves the destruction of human embryos, and has therefore closely linked to debates over abortion. These issues and the uncertainty behind stem cells are part of the reason that there are a good amount of restrictions placed on them. This uncertainty is pretty well placed being that these treatments are very new and not that tested. “Are we really willing to give out treatments that could have negative consequences?” is a question a lot of people ask themselves while discussing the ethics and morality behind stem cell therapy. Because of this, the FDA looks through and overviews the manufacturing process of the product and the clinical trials of the product to ensure the product’s safety for use, and that the product is not too potent. The second main issue is the price of the treatment. Each shot can cost someone between $1000-$6000, and it is not covered by insurance. For people that need multiple shots, this price can add up very quickly. The treatment itself, while very effective, is also very expensive and thus many cannot afford it.

Efficiency and Application:

As mentioned before, stem cell research is used to treat a large variety of diseases. These include spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease, just to name a few. The success rate of this treatment is also very high, with 36 medical centers reporting over an 82.2% success rate, and 25 other medical centers reporting between 80-100% success rate. With treatments and technology becoming more and more advanced as time goes on, these numbers are sure to increase and more treatments are going to continue to develop.

Works Cited

“Answers to Your Questions about Stem Cell Research.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 19 Mar. 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117#:~:text=Stem%20cells%20are%20the%20body's%20raw%20materials%20%E2%80%94%20cells%20from%20which,more%20cells%20called%20daughter%20cells.

Commissioner, Office of the. “FDA Warns about Stem Cell Therapies.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-about-stem-cell-therapies.

King, Nancy MP, and Jacob Perrin. “Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research and Therapy - Stem Cell Research & Therapy.” BioMed Central, BioMed Central, 7 July 2014, https://stemcellres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/scrt474.

Lo, Bernard, and Lindsay Parham. “Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research.” Endocrine Reviews, The Endocrine Society, May 2009, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2726839/#:~:text=However%2C%20human%20embryonic%20stem%20cell,linked%20to%20debates%20over%20abortion.

“Stem Cell Therapy Cost, Insurance, Success Rate: Mansfield TX.” Pain Management Physician Mansfield TX | Zen Pain & Wellness, 30 Sept. 2021, https://www.roziermd.com/stem-cell-therapy/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20success%20rate,clinical%20efficacy%20of%2082.2%20percent.