Stem Cell

Many people do not even know what stem cells are.  They only know that they are a controversial topic in the world and do not know whether they are truly good or if they are bad.  This is from the National Institute of Health, "Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell."  They are very useful and fine until they start pulling them from embryos.


These embryonic cells are pulled from in vitro embryonic cells.  This means that these were created in the lab.  They were created and donated to the labs and then experimented on using several methods.  After growing on mice cells that they were attached to

(National Institute of Health 2). Here are a few different experiment techniques:

Photo from Cambridge.

• Growing and subculturing the stem cells for many months. This ensures that the cells are capable of long-term growth and self-renewal. Scientists inspect the cultures through a microscope to see that the cells look healthy and remainundifferentiated.
• Using specific techniques to determine the presence of transcription factors that are typically produced by undifferentiated cells. Two of the most important transcription factors are Nanog and Oct4. Transcription factors help turn genes on and off at the right time, which is an important part of the processes of cell differentiation and embryonic development. In this case, both Oct 4 and Nanog are associated with maintaining the stem cells in an undifferentiated state, capable of self-renewal.
• Using specific techniques to determine the presence of paricular cell surface markers that are typically produced by undifferentiated cells.
• Examining the chromosomes under a microscope. This is a method to assess whether the chromosomes are damaged or if the number of chromosomes has changed. It does not detect genetic mutations in the cells.
• Determining whether the cells can be re-grown, or subcultured, after freezing, thawing, and re-plating.
• Testing whether the human embryonic stem cells are pluripotent by 1) allowing the cells to differentiate spontaneously in cell culture; 2) manipulating the cells so they will differentiate to form cells characteristic of the three germ layers; or 3) injecting the cells into a mouse with a suppressed immune system to test for the formation of a benign tumor called a teratoma. Since the mouse’s immune system is suppressed, the injected human stem cells are not rejected by the mouse immune system and scientists can observe growth and differentiation of the human stem cells. Teratomas typically contain a mixture of many differentiated or partly differentiated cell types—an indication that the embryonic stem cells are capable of differentiating into multiple cell types.

We looked at embryonic but what can stem cells of adults do for us.  Adult stem cells are used to mantain and repair the body throughout the life of the person.  These are extracted from the bone marrow of the person.  What is the potential for all of these stem cells?  Well there are many, everything from repairing the heart muscles, preventing abnormal cell reproduction, and even the possibility of curing cancer cells and birth defects (National Institute of Health 8).

While God made us the way we are if stem cells can make us more healthy without harming the donor or the person recieving the stem cell then why not take better care of God's temple. We need to be as healthy as possible so that we can do as much as we can for God and his mission that he set out for us.