Stem Cell Therapy: a Building Material for The Health of The Body

Have you or anyone you know needed an organ transplant? How many individuals need a transplant and what are the risks of a transplant failing? Although organ transplants have a risk of failing, some individuals have lost their lives just waiting for updates on a transplant. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, about 37,000 organ transplants were performed last year, and over 113,000 women, men, and children were on the waitlist for transplants. Statistically, about 20 people die each day waiting for a transplant, and every 10 minutes an individual is added to the waitlist to receive a transplant. In addition, the list is slowly continuing to grow over time exceeding the number of donors, surgeons, and transplants available. How will we keep up with these needed transplants to save lives? Do we need more organ donors or new medicine? To satisfy this growing need, scientists are working with cells to come up with new, innovative therapies to help people with organ failure from damaged tissue, chronic injuries, and prolonged illnesses. Scientists are working on ways to coax cells to grow into new organs that imitate an organ through an organized structure. Stem cell research may be the future of modern medicine. Stem cell research has the ability to create new organs for individuals and create new treatments for medical issues.

How can stem cells create organs? Stem cells are special human cells that have the ability to develop into many different cell types, from muscle cells to brain cells, and can sometimes have the ability to repair damaged tissues. In addition, stem cells are pluripotent, which means that they can develop into every cell, tissue, and organ in the human body making them initially flexible to work with. When stem cells divide, they create over 220 imitating cells and have the capability to self-renew and reproduce themselves simultaneously. This process of self-reproduction truly creates self-healing organs, which would cure so many chronic illnesses. Growing entire organs in laboratories with stem cells would be created by growth factors specific to the organ. The organ’s development would be guided by the embryos in the stem cells that have a deep understanding of an individual’s genetic makeup. As the tissue would grow from the stem cells, scaffolds created out of polymers to seed more stem cells would degrade, and it would result in a complete, functional organ. Of course, the risk still remains to whether the body will accept or reject this new organ. An individual receiving stem cells from a donor may result in their immune system perceive the cells as a foreign invader. However, adult stem cells taken from the patient itself won’t allow this rejection from happening. If scientists are successful, modern medicine and science would revolutionize, as we would have the ability to create and grow organs from an individual’s own stem cells so they can avoid the risk of not being compatible. Ultimately, one’s own adult stem cells would be used to heal and rejuvenate the damaged tissue in their organs to create healing organs.

Scientists have theorized that stem cell-based therapies may be used to treat chronic ailments, and are now finally taking initiative. Cells are simply the basic building blocks of all living things, so they should be able to recreate pre-existing living things, right? Currently, the only stem cells being used to treat diseases are hematopoietic stem cells, which are basically adult stem cells that come from fully developed tissues, such as the brain, skin, and bone marrow. These stem cells are being used to treat diseases like Fanconi anemia, which is a blood disorder causing a body’s bone marrow to fail. Scientists and physicians are striving to use stem cells to treat chronically damaged tissue and organs, as well as treat illnesses such as diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's, arthritis, etc. For example, scientists are striving to cure heart disease with stem cells, as heart disease has been the leading cause of death worldwide. You may have heard someone telling you it is hard to survive another heart attack after one has occurred. This is because cardiac tissue dies after a heart attack has taken place, creating scar tissue that remains there and provides nothing to the heart. Studies have shown that doctors can safely inject stem cells into damaged heart tissue, but there hasn’t been an indication that the heart can be healed, or the scarred tissues are rejuvenated. As a result, scientists are working to create stem cells that imitate one’s body but are stronger and can replace the original stem cells to restore and heal organs, in this case, the heart, thus, creating healing hearts. It is a risk but there is still time to perfect this craft through the system of trial and error. Ultimately, stem cell research can create improved, self-healing organs.

Although developing stem cell research for self-healing organs has showcased positive outcomes, there are also negative ones. Some professionals view stem cell therapy as a medical advance and promising treatment, as it uses original biological components, however, some view stem cell therapy as a threat, and something that should be resisted. Why should we resist stem cell therapy? One reason is that stem cell technologies would be very costly and only available to those who can afford the therapy. New medical technologies tend to be expensive at first, and decrease the cost when demand increases, however, the agents used are already expensive, and to satisfy the development, testing, and production of the therapy it will take a big hit moneywise. Economically, health care would definitely increase, creating another social issue, despite creating a financial one. In addition, major advances in clinical research usually result in ways to control diseases rather than cure them. Most experts believe that there is no point to invest in stem cell therapy if it won’t infinitely cure the illness, and just control it like any other form of medicine or therapy. In addition, some biologists believe interfering with the genome to create imitating stem cells would involve “playing the creator”. In other words, having the ability to create organs would be considered an unnatural thing to do, and will open doors to many risks, as it is still not going to be 100% the original organ that was pre-installed in the body. This can cause social, and religious conflict as well, as scientists would be perfecting the divine creation and replacing what was originally there. Scientists would be seen as trying to create new humans initially, as they are cloning reproductive organs using a cell nuclear transfer. Additionally, this creates an immoral view of stem cell therapy. On a philosophical and moral ground, stem cell therapy is used to rejuvenate and create organs that would have a neo-eugenics effect, with individuals having the self-healing organs as the better half of society, allowing discrimination for those who don’t have the rejuvenating organs. With these new, improved humans, it will cause other cells and future offspring to possess and adapt to these cells in ways to fit the developing environment over time. Ultimately, as there are pros for stem cell therapy, there are many cons that have social, economic, biological, and moral effects.

In conclusion, stem cell therapy will change the future of science and medicine, for the better and the good. We can invest in a therapy that has the ability to return memory to an Alzheimer’s patient or replace skin that was lost during a tragic accident. Perhaps, we shouldn’t even invest in stem cell therapy and look towards other forms of medical advances such as the small chip used to place on the heart to stop a heart attack from coming and tissue from damaging in the first place. Should we invest our trust, money, health, and patience into cells from our own bodies or artificial intelligence? Should we put high costs and morals before the possibility of remaining alive for a patient? Of course, before providing stem cell therapy for illnesses it hasn’t been tested and proven for, and to generally expand, it requires much more study and testing. According to Stanford Health, there is a variety of clinical trials taking place to verify and affirm stem cell therapy for chronic illnesses and specific conditions, and an individual can willingly take part in these trials to help with medical advancements. As the need for transplants is increasing, and the supply of organ donors decreasing, a truly iconic medical advancement is needed. As Ronald Reagan once stated, “stem cell research can revolutionize medicine, more than anything since antibiotics”. Stem cell research is a gateway for remaining alive.