Question

As part of your summer job at the local community center, your supervisor asks you to lead a community discussion on the uses of embryonic stem cells. Your goal is to cut through the rhetoric and provide information to the diverse group of community members that will attend.

Write your notes for this event. (2pt each)

Include:

1) a definition of a stem cell including its to two main characteristics,

2) a brief description of the origin of human embryonic stem cells (where/what stage do they come from),

3) an example of at least one other general type of stem cell and a mention of its “potency”,

4) one problem with ESCs and one possible solution

5) your logical opinion of their use.

6) As you have a diverse audience, include your thoughts on when human identity/life begins and

7) two other logical points that others say are the beginning of human identity/life.

Write your notes as if you were presenting at the community center.

Answer 1

1.Stem cells are the types of the cells that can be differentiated into various types of cells and stem cells themselves are either undifferentiated or partially differentiated group of cells. They are promising therapy for various disease condition that requires replacement of cells like  spinal cord injury, heart disease, osteoarthritis stroke, burns, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. The two main characteristics of stem cells are

• Self-renewal: It is the ability of stem cell to undergo go numerous cell cycle division with out getting itself differentiated or that they maintain the undifferentiated state throughout the cell division.
• Potency: It is the ability of stem cell to differentiate into specialized cell types. They can be either totipotent or pluripotent, those which are able to give rise to any mature cell type, where as multipotent and unipotent give rise to specific cell types.

2.Embryonic stem cells constitute of cells in the early stage of embryo which is in the preimplantation period and they constitute the inner cell mass of a blastocyst. They are 4 to 5 days old. They are pluripotent , that is they can be differentiated to three germ layers ectoderm,endoderm and mesoderm.

3. Adult stem cells can be unipotent or multi potent which can differentiate to only specific cell types. Examples is

Hematopoietic stem cells _ potency is Multi potent. They can give rise to blood and immune cells.

4. The main problem with embryonic stem cell is the ethical issues faced which critisise the destruction of human embryos . Still debates are going on about when human life begin. The conclusion has almost made that life starts on the same day of conception and hence human embryonic stem cells are human life with moral value justifying its protection.  

This limitation can be overcome by making use of adult stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells.They are ethically superior and the best alternative.

5. There is always a question of life in the usage of embryonic stem cells. On the very same day of conception it's a new life and human embryonic stem cells is 4 to 5 days old which clearly defines its a human life. Hence the unwanted and unwise usage of embryonic stem cells can never be encouraged. Still in the cases of IVF with the consent of parents the cell may be used if it could survive the life of an terminally ill patient. But the unwanted usage of them can never be encouraged.

6.According to my opinion human life originated when the egg and sperm have used. It's a life which have all the rights as any other human life .

7. Embryonic stage is divided in to preimplantation stage and post implantation stage. Embryonic stem cells are in the preimplantation stage. There are arguments that life starts only after implantation of embryo to the uterus and hence the embryonic stem cells in the blastocyst stage are in the preimplantation period and is not a matter of life. But the new invention of cloning describes that life starts immediately after the fusion of sperm and egg that is days before implantation.