Presenter(s): Aryanna Entezari-Schweiger—Human Physiology
Session 5: The Bonds that Make Us
Imagine having the ability to transplant organs without rejection, create medications without requiring human trials and extend a humans life . Stem cells give researchers exactly that! These cells have proven their ability to cure the incurable, learn about the effects of drugs, and understand the developmental process of humans . Stem cells have already cured people with seemingly “incurable” medical conditions such as Alzeihmers, spinal cord injuries and diabetes so investment into stem cell research should be a research priority . Embryonic stem cells are harvested from undifferentiated embryos early in development and inserted into damaged tissues to differentiate into healthy, functioning cells . However, with the moral implications about embryonic stem cells, scientists have turned to reprogramming adult stem cells to further their research . Adult stem cells can be harvested and reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells and used for therapeutic purposes or medical research . With over 50 years of stem cell research, society should be seeing greater medical advancements . Unfortunately, stem cell research is not commonly funded by wealthy private institutions but rather from limited federal funds . Stem cell research is one of the youngest fields of research that has great promise of treatment and cure for the most common diseases in the world . Through continued intensive research, findings become more and more conclusive and have proved to have a widespread use . Stem cell research should be a front runner in medical laboratories in hopes of enhancing medical treatment .