Question

Stem cells therapies have been used for decades for treatment of various neurological conditions. Please discuss methods of collecting stem cells, the associated conditions, and treatments. Also, discuss your view as to whether the use of stem cells is ethical or not.

Answer 1

Stem cells are collected by two methods:

Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Collection--- Stem cells are collected from the blood by using a Cell Separator.

Bone Marrow Harvest---- Stem cells are generally collected directly from the bone marrow spaces of pelvic bones by a needle.

Stem cell therapy is used for treating several conditions like  leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, multiple myeloma, spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, burns, cancer, osteoarthritis, it can replace tissues or organs infected by disease, etc.

Adult stem cell therapy is more ethical than embryonic stem cell therapy. As human embryo gives rise to human life hence due to moral issues in order to protect human life from destruction (as extraction of stem cells from embryo causes destruction of blastocyst), extraction of stem cells from human embryo becomes unethical. On the contrary there is less or no ethical issues with umbilical cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells. As there is no ethical issues with cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells, these are widely used in clinical care and research.