Stem Cells

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Should the government provide funding for embryonic stem cell research

Cells are the structural and functional units of all living organisms Basically , there are three types of cells make up the mammalian body Somatic cells which make up most of our bodies , most of these cells are diploid (except RBCs as they have no nuclei . Germ cells are any line of cells that give rise to gametes (eggs and sperms ) and stem cells which have the ability to divide for indefinite

periods and give rise to specialized cells (National Center for Biotechnology information

What are stem cells

Stem cells are master cells of the body , i .e . they are the cells from which all other cells with specialized functions are created . Under proper conditions , in the human body or the lab , stem cells divide to many cells called daughter cells , these cells may either become new stem cells (self-renewal ) or become specialized (differentiated ) to cells with special functions (e .g . blood or brain cells . No other cell of the human body has such a possibility to renew or differentiate . Sources of stem cells are multiple embryonic stem cells come from embryos of 4-5 days old (blastocyst . These are Pluripotent stem cells i .e . they can divide into more stem cells or differentiate and become any type of body cells , so they have the highest potential for use to regenerate or repair diseased tissues or organs . Adult stem cells are found in a small number of adult tissues (e .g . bone marrow , also in placentas and umbilical cords . Other types of stem cells include embryonic germ cells which are stem cells that come from an area in the embryo or fetus destined to be ovaries or testis . Researchers have also discovered stem cells in amniotic fluid and were able to identify stem cells that could develop into several other types of cells (retrieved from Mayo clinic .com

A stem cell line is a group of cells which all descend from a single original stem cell . Cells in a stem cell line keep dividing but do not differentiate into specialized cells . In this way , they remain free from genetic defects (retrieved from Mayo clinic .com

Large number of embryonic stem cells can be relatively easy grown in culture , while adult stem cells are rare in mature tissues and methods of increasing their number in artificial culture have not yet worked out fully . Despite that , using adult stem cells in replacement therapy carries the advantage of using the patient ' own cells (retrieved from

Growing cells in the laboratory is known as cell culture . Human embryonic stem cells are isolated by transferring the inner cell mass into a plastic laboratory culture dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium . The cells divide and spread over the surface of the dish . The inner surface of the culture dish is typically coated with mouse embryonic skin cells that have been treated so they will not...