Close your eyes. Imagine you are in a car crash and you get knocked out. When you wake up, you can’t move your body at all. You have been paralyzed, and the only solution is years of painful and tough physical therapy. Life as you know it is ruined. However, there is one solution that is quicker. This solution is not painful, and it is one of the most highly anticipated procedures in the medical industry- stem cells.

    So, what are stem cells? Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi cellular organisms. These cells have the ability to develop into any of the different cell types that make up the body’s tissues and organs. Did you know that the original cells from which an entire organism develops are stem cells? I will give you an example of the capability of stem cells. For example, once nerve cells have already turned into nerve cells, they can’t change into any other cell types, even if your body depended on it. A stem cell can transform into the cell type that your body is in desperate need of.

    Research in the stem cell field grew out of the findings of Canadian scientists Ernest E. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s. However, 2007 was a very important year for stem cell discoveries. This is because two different stem cell research teams, one in Japan and one in the U.S., reported that they’d been able to turn human skin cells into something similar to embryonic stem cells. Why was this an important development? This was an important development because the fact that scientists even used embryonic stem cells has always caused a worldwide controversy in the medical field.

    Why is the fact that stem cells from embryos are used even a problem? Fertilized embryos are where babies are formed, and in order to obtain embryonic stem cells from the embryo, the embryo must be smashed by the scientists. Supporters for embryonic cell research argue that the potential to cure diseases that have been tormenting mankind for centuries makes the fact that stem cells come from embryos irrelevant. People opposed to embryonic stem cell research say that destroying embryos is immoral, and some say, murder. So there is no raging argument, scientists have obtained stem cells from other parts of the body. However, it is extremely hard to find a stem cell donor. This is why the skin cell development was so crucial to stem cell researching. These skin cells have the potential to develop into over 200 types of cells that make up the human body’s tissues and organs. Such cells could help scientists understand disease mechanisms and aid in the search for safe and effective drugs.

    Stem cells can divide endlessly inside your body. The problem scientists were having was how to grow them outside your body. In 1998, scientists succeeded in isolating and growing human stem cells in a laboratory. Scientists think they can be used to replace damaged tissues and treat diseases, such as Cancer, Diabetes, and Parkinson’s Disease. These three diseases aren’t the only diseases stem cells have the potential to treat. The list of diseases stem cells could treat is almost endless.

    In adult human beings, stem cells are found in many places in the body, like bone marrow, cord blood, and the placenta. In the organs, stem cells remain inactive until they’re needed to replace damaged or dead cells. For example, bone marrow stem cells divide to produce stem cells, more stem cells, precursor cells, and all of the different cells that make up the blood and immune system. Precursor cells are cells that have the ability to form different types of cells, like stem cells, but they cant produce more stem cells.

    In March 2009, President Barack Obama lifted the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. This lift created a huge controversy and debate. It also left some hopeful of the possibilities this lift created for stem cells, and it left others questioning the moral issue of stem cell usage. hat does the lift on restriction mean for stem cell researchers? What can we really expect from stem cells?

    President Barack Obama isn’t the only person in the government who is trying to help stem cells on their way to fame. Governor David A. Paterson proclaimed September 23, 2009, as Stem Cell Awareness Day in New York State. Mark your calendars! This has caused the joining of organizations and individuals across the country that work toward realizing the benefits of stem cell research in celebrating the accomplishments and promise of the rapidly increasing field. Even though Governor Paterson doesn’t run the country, like President Obama, both events are significant in stem cell research history.

    Thousands of people have already stated their opinions about the lift and many other stem cell topics. How? By using The Stem Cell Blog. The Stem Cell Blog is a website where people are posting their opinions about stem cell research. Some people are outraged by the concept of destroying embryos, while others ignore the fact that stem cells even some from embryos. What is your opinion? If you don’t have one, form one! Stem cells are such a fascinating medical topic. If you are like me, and stem cells fascinate you, you’ll like to witness the rise of one of the most highly anticipated medical procedures in history.