The topic of stem cells concerns biological scientific research that proposes the potential development of treatment methods to prevent various illnesses and diseases. Stem cells have the distinct possibility of revolutionizing modern medicine, while contributing to the rise of professional scientists and modern biology. On the other hand, the topic of stem cells is extremely controversial and affects different religious beliefs and conflicting societies. This article identifies in-depth research involving the many aspects and properties of stem cells. Focusing on classification and importance in stem cell research, as well as highlighting the controversy surrounding the topic. It further describes the nature of stem cells associated with other cells and medical research. The work is summarized by the importance of stem cell research and the beneficial significance for the future of science. The wide variety of opportunities makes this cutting-edge therapy a game-changer in medicine, offering hope for incurable diseases. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The human body comprises several specialized cells that exist with different structures and functions. For example, a brain cell transmits electrical signals as part of the nervous system, and a liver helps remove toxins from the blood. In contrast, stem cells are undifferentiated cells in the human body. This means that they do not have a specific job or function. They are capable of differentiating into any specialized cell of an organism, while having the capacity for a biological process known as "self-renewal", defined as the generation of perfect copies after division. The promise of stem cells as new tools to benefit human health lies in these twin properties, which allow the production of unlimited quantities of defined cell types. Subsequently, the research is currently applied and fully integrated into the field of life sciences. Regardless of the definition, stem cells can be divided into two broad sources, based on the range of specialized cells they are capable of regenerating. Tissue-specific (or adult) stem cells come from throughout the body, where they function to maintain and replace existing cells in organs as they deteriorate. Tissue stem cells have a limited ability to generate other cell types. For example, a brain cell can become any type of brain cell, but not a muscle cell, so it is considered multipotent; can only produce certain types of cells within the body. Tissue stem cells are obtained from the organ or tissue in which they are found and further studied for health treatments involving different diseases and illnesses. Pluripotent stem cells, in contrast, have the potential to generate any type of cell found in the body. An example is embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells are derived from early, pre-implementation embryos. Specifically, they are obtained from the internal mass of the blastocyst, the mass of cells which, in humans, develops from the fertilized egg after 3-8 days. Interestingly, ES cells were the first type of pluripotent stem cell to be discovered in 1981, originally studied in mice and then in humans. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are a different type of pluripotent stem cell, recently developed to mimic the characteristics of an ES cell. iPS cells are produced from cellsspecialize by implementing a technique called "reprogramming". These cells are reassembled through genetic manipulation and other techniques for further research potential. Modern scientists have developed this technique and thoroughly implemented research for the prevention of the use of embryos. Together, the development and adaptation of these groups of stem cells have, and have, contributed to the promise for the present and future of regenerative medicine technology. Scientists have obtained stem cells from sources throughout the human body. Tissue-specific stem cells have been found and extracted in the brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, liver, and other (though not all) organs and tissues. Researchers believe that cells are dominant in a specific area of each tissue, where they remain and divide to create new cells only when activated by tissue injury, disease, or other properties that force the body to generate additional cells. The umbilical cord is the cord that connects the fetus to the placenta. This allows the baby to access nutrients and oxygen while still inside the mother's body. This cord contains stem cells that can only develop into certain types of cells, such as blood cells and disease-fighting cells. Doctors extract the umbilical cord as soon as the baby is born so that scientists can develop and advance stem cells for treatments such as leukemia, anemia and other blood diseases. As stated previously, embryonic stem cells can be obtained from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst. The blastocyst is the term used to describe the mass of cells formed at an early stage in the development of an embryo. Stem cell research is at the beginning of a development that will likely address many diseases important to society, particularly in the aging population. Stem cells not only offer hope for reconstructive therapies, but provide us with a better understanding that distinguishes them from normal cells. In 2007, scientists announced that they had developed a new way to make human cells resemble pluripotent cells, mimicking the similar characteristics of embryonic stem cells. By simply altering the expression of cells through genetic modification, they were "induced" to become stem cells and are now called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Originally, iPS cells were produced using viruses to edit the gene, although this technique has been shown to cause permanent and potentially harmful changes in the cells. However, as written before, since the discovery of cells, scientific reprogramming technologies were advancing and allowed researchers to study new methods to prevent the use of viruses. Currently, scientists are using this method to create disease-specific cells by extracting a cell from a patient with a genetic disease, later using iPS cells to further study the disease in the laboratory. Further research would be needed to find out whether iPS cells will offer the same value and treatment potential as embryonic stem cells. Stem cell research offers great promise for understanding the basic mechanisms of human development and differentiation, as well as the hope of new treatments for several diseases. However, human stem cell research raises bitter ethical and political controversies. The derivation of stem cell lines from embryos is fraught with disagreement regarding the.
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