Stem Cells: The key to prolonged life Leslie Edens

The body is in a constant state of flux. At any given time, there are millions of interactions between cells, instructions going to and from parts of the body, as well as repair and renewal going on in vital areas. Cells in our body control every facet of life. Some cells actually create and renew life however, replacing that which is damaged or lacking. These cells have been come to be known as stem cells. Stem cells are in essence our key of life. An individual stem cell can create replacement cells for any part of the body. As the human grows from a fetus to an adult, these stem cells become more specialized, eventually finding their place and replenishing certain cell types in the body. Everything from liver cells to brain cells are replaced or replenished with cells that stem cells create. Stewart Sell has this to say about it. In the beginning there is the stem cell; it is the origin of an organism's life. It is a single cell that can give rise to progeny that differentiate into any of the specialized cells of embryonic or adult tissues. (Sell) Since the 1800's scientists have acknowledge that cells were the building blocks of life. The discovery of stem cells has been an almost slow process, as opposed to one eureka moment of discovery. In the early 1900's, discoveries of cells that regenerated blood cells paved the way for the first successful bone marrow transplant in 1956. Dr. Thomas performed the procedure on a pair of identical twins, one of which was suffering from leukemia. Later, he was able to refine his technique and perform the procedure in 1968 on a set of relatives that were not genetically identical as the twins had been. Thomas, as well as his co-recipient Dr. Murray, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on the matter. After this breakthrough, the eighties and nineties followed with a rush of discoveries

concerning stem cells. The first stem cells from human umbilical cord blood was discovered in 1978, which them paved the way for the first in vitro stem cell line developed in mice, and later hamsters. A stem cell line from primates was finally successful in 1995, followed closely by the first cloned sheep in 1997 from stem cells. 1998 however, saw the change in stem cells and how they were perceived by the world. Dr. Thompson, at the University of Wisconsin, derived the first embryonic stem cells from an early developed human embryo. At the same time in Johns Hopkins University, a Dr. Gearhart developed cells from a fetal gonad tissue. Both created stem cell lines with their findings. Two years later, scientists discovered they could manipulate these cells to differentiate into different types of cells, depending on the catalyst. Stem cell research has created many ethical debates along the way, and continues to do so. The medical benefits of such research however are obvious. Treatments for such things such as cancers, birth defects, and some diseases could possibly be derived from these unique cells. What about stem cells makes them so versatile however? First, one must understand how they work. Stem cells are cells that can differentiate, or transform into, other specialized cells required to grow and maintain an organism. These cells will divide to replace dead cells, or replenish lost ones. Some stem cells can lay dormant indefinitely, awaiting possible injury so they can awaken and repair the damage. Other stem cells are much more active like the ones in our skin, which need to replace constantly cells that are lost each day. Pluripotent hematopoietic in our bone marrow are even responsible for replenishing our bloody supply with usable clotting platelets as well as red and white blood cells. Until recently, there had been only two types of stem cells that scientists worked with. Embryonic stem cells, and 'somatic' or adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are those harvested from an early stage embryo, while adult stem cells simply refer to cells that are further down the

division chain. They are more specialized, and can only differentiate into certain cell types. In 2006 however, researches developed a way to 'reprogram' specialized adult cells to assume a stemcell like state. These stem cells are referred to as induced plurpotent stem cells, or iPSC's. Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile of the stem cells. Theoretically they can differentiate into any specialized cell in the body. When an egg is fertilized by sperm, the result is a totipotent stem cell. This cell divides over and over, differentiating each time till it forms every cell in the human body. After fertilization, the egg begins to divide repeatedly. The result is what is called an embryo, a hollow ball of cells also called a blastocyst. At three to five days old, this ball holds the cells constituting the inner cell mass of the embryo. These cells are considered 'pluripotent' as they have the ability to differentiate into most, but not all, specialized stem cells. While totipotent stem cells are responsible for also creating structures for the embryo like the placenta, plurpotent stem cells are at this stage of differentiation are now only responsible for cells in the human body. Once these cells have differentiated into the cells required to make a fetus, baby, or adult, most lose the ability to divide any longer. Some retain that ability however, and are now considered the adult stem cells. This last stage of stem cell is referred to as 'multipotent' as they can still divide into several cell types, but they are much more specialized now, to the tissues in which they are located in. Adult stem cells are located in many areas of the adult body, including the brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium, and testis. They are thought to reside in specific areas called 'stem cell niches' awaiting time for them to be used. These cells are used to create some or all of the specialized cells in the tissue or organ they are located in. Their main purpose, unlike embryonic stem cells which are used for growth and formation, is to maintain and repair cells. They are limited in number, and once they are removed from the tissue they normally reside in, their ability to differentiate

diminishes. This makes it extremely hard for scientists to develop them in laboratories, and whole teams of scientists are working on nothing but finding ways to do just this. Scientists discovered that with the proper prompting with either proteins or enzymes, these adult stem cells could differentiate into specific cells from the tissue they were located in. The idea behind this research is that if they can prompt tissue to grow a specific way, things may be possible that weren't before. Scientists may be able to prompt bone regeneration from stem cells in bones, and eventually perhaps regrow limbs. They may also be able to prompt heart muscle to repair itself or regrow itself, limiting the need for cardiac transplants. Transdifferentiation, a phenomena that happens when a cell differentiates into a cell from an entirely different region of the body is something scientists are also exploring, since it would be optimal to create generic stem cell cultures and differentiate them into the cells one requires. Embryonic stem cell research is not without it's plus sides as well. Researches are studying embryo's attempting to find out how birth defects and disease effect the cells. The thought is that if they can understand it, they can stop it from happening and possibly eliminating such things as mutations as well as down syndrome. In a laboratory, the process of creating stem cells is quite different than that of letting nature take it's course in the process of reproduction and fertilization. Given the proper nutrients, scientists are able to prod stem cells into reproducing but not differentiating, allowing for more to be produced. They are transferred from culture to culture as they are reproduced, and this becomes what is known as a stem cell line. These are beneficial to scientists as it allows them to work on different projects with the same material at different times, and often different places. Researches in London may be working with the same line as those in India, making it a control of sorts.

Embryonic stem cells are easier to maintain and grow than adult stem cells, as its difficult to

find and produce adult stem cells. It was believed that embryonic stem cells could divide indefinitely, but research has proven that after a while they begin to develop mutations. While embryonic stem cells may be easier to produce, they are not easier to control. Scientists have found that when inserted into organisms they have a tendency to form benign tumors, called teratomas. It is even used as a means of discovering whether researchers succeeded in creating a stem cell line. The last type of stem cell is a recent discovery. Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSC's, are in fact normal adult cells which have been de-differentiated back to a stem cell-like state. Scientists have in essence been able to reverse engineer cells in the body, in hopes that the process will be more beneficial in the long run. Currently, viruses are used to induce the need for the cells to revert back to their original stem cell like state. This virus however is known to cause cancer, and researchers are in the process of finding ways to de-differentiate the cells using non viral means. The benefit of this science could aid in things such as avoiding tissue rejection. Tissues derived from these iPSC's would be less likely to be rejected as the cells would be from the patient themselves, having the ability to save many more lives and lowering the mortality rate of such surgeries. There are benefits of using one type of stem cell over the other. Embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any cell type in the body, while adult stem cells are much more limited in that aspect. Embryonic stem cells are also easier to obtain, as opposed to adult stem cells which are hard to filter from other cells, and harder to cultivate because of it. Adult stem cells do have their benefits however. For instance, they are easier to maintain in stem cell lines, as they are not as prone to creating tumors in patients. They may also be easier to cultivate once the initial separation happens as they are already partially differentiated. The benefits of embryonic stem cells however are something that scientists have been trying to uncover for years. Logically, it has

the better chance of succeeding, but because of laws and the ethical questions involved with embryo's, the going has been tough. Currently, there are several arguments against stem cells. The argument has however become skewed to often times include the abortion debate as well. While embryonic stem cells do require the use of an embryo, it has never been implanted in a woman, and would indeed be destroyed regardless of the research. The perception of a destroyed fetus however has attached itself to the stem cell name, and has caused many difficulties in passing legislation benefiting further research. One of the largest arguments against stem cells and it's research is where to draw the line. When does life begin? Is it the start of the cell division? Is it when a brain becomes active? Is it somewhere in between? They are the same arguments used against abortion, though most embryonic research begins within the first week or fertilization, as opposed to abortions which can be months after the fact. Questions also arise on how far researchers can take their research.

Cloning for example, uses stem cells in their development, and there are many unanswered ethical questions regarding human cloning. There are those in favor of stem cell research itself, but worry about the social and political effects such a tool could wield. Our country's healthcare system is not set up to meet the needs of sudden stem cell treatments that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each patient. With the right to health care, who would benefit from the medicines this could eventually create, the treatments It could create. There are those that believe it would be sequestered and used for profit. Eventually, the power would be out of the researchers hands. What then? Human organs are illegal to sell in most countries... so where does one draw the limit? Sperm can be sold. Can ovaries? If so, what kind of havoc would that wreak on the scientific community, and what doors would that open for other organ sales. Where does it end? People could begin selling parts of

themselves for profit. There could be a very large profit in a business that could heal what stem cells researchers are hoping is possible. How would it benefit man kind to have no restrictions on it's dispersal? None of these ethical questions are easy to answer. Based on personal believes, religious views, and current legal statutes, it will be many years before a resolution comes about. Do the risks outweigh the benefits? Does the morality outweigh the contribution it could have on society? Is that society ready for some of the breakthroughs this research could unleash? Even something as simple as a cure for diabetes in the form of a stem cell injection could put thousands out of a job, simply because their livelihood depends on products for that disease being continued in production. What would we find for those people? All these questions are hard to answer. Some may indeed have no answer. With the success of bone marrow transplants however, it is impossible to ignore the possible long term benefits of stem cell research. With the cures this technology promises to aid, we could change the world as we know it with the right breakthrough. The question remains, would that change be good or bad? We may never know. For the sake of the research itself, as well as for the public interest and the common good, responsible governance of human biotechnologies is needed at all levels and in all parts of the world. (Hayes 65)

Work Cited Hayes, Richard, Pete Shanks, and Marcy Darnovsky. Stem Cells and Public Policy. New York City: Century Foundation, 2006. Print. Sell, Stewart. Stem Cells Handbook. Totowa, NJ: Humana, 2004. Print. NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page. Web. 04 May 2011. <http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp>. Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine. Washington, D.C.: National Academy, 2002. Print. There were other resources that were used through the PTC website, however those links will not load now, and I am unable to site them unless I am logged in to them.