The area of stem cell research and the resultant therapy have been an important area of this advancement, and there is apparently much more to accomplish. When conducting a scientific experiment, ethics must always be taken into consideration, and ethical concerns have been raised on this subject. However, I disagree with any obstruction to the advancement of stem cell therapy based on ethical arguments. In this case, the gains far outweigh the ethical downsides. .
Early in development, a human embryo is formed from a hollow ball of cells called "blastocysts". Blastocyst cells divide and form into the tissues and organs of a human body. This process is referred to as "differentiation". Embryonic stem cells can be grown in a laboratory from blastocysts and made to differentiate into nerve, liver, muscle, blood, and other cells. In turn, these cells can be used to treat a myriad of degenerative diseases such as cancer, ALS, MS, Parkinson's, and more. Embryonic stem cells can also be used to test the effects of new drugs without harming animals or people. The future of stem cell research is extremely bright as well. This is especially true in the development of heart cells to combat heart disease:.
The ability of human embryonic stem cells to differentiate into spontaneously contracting cardiomyocyte-like cells has attracted substantial interest from the scientific community over the last decade. From having been difficult to control, human cardiomyogenesis in vitro is now becoming a process which, to a certain extent, can be effectively manipulated and directed [Vid10].
This information indicates that through stem cells, researchers are close to having a valuable weapon against the number one killer in the world, heart disease.
Opponents claim that since the cells come from an embryo, these "cells are alive and extracting these cells means the death of a living organismwhich is immoral" [Wes99].
