STEM CELL TREATMENT SHOULD IT OR SHOULD IT NOT BE ALLOWED IN AMERICA

THIS IS ISLEY Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 6 months old. He had gone threw multiple therapies and treatments About 3 years ago he received the Stem Cell Treatment.

ISLEY  Raised $30,000 to fly to the Dominican Republic  After having the stem cell treatment he started crawling, talking more, and using his left side.  Isley received the embryonic stem cells

ISLEY  It has helped his cognitive abilities more than his physical abilities  Noticed a difference almost immediately  The stem cells fix the damaged cells but, Isley still has to learn everything on his own.

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS? A) Embryonic cells, which are cells that come from aborted fetuses, or fertilized eggs that are left over from in vitro fertilization. B) Cells that are obtained from the umbilical cord. C) Cells taken from bone marrow or the peripheral system. D) This is a trick question…. They are all correct you can obtain stems cells from all three sources.

STEM CELLS: There are three sources for obtaining stem cells. Adult cells, cord cells, and the most controversial embryonic cells. Stem cells defined: - A stem cell is a generic cell that can make exact copies of itself indefinitely. Also, a stem cell has the ability to produce specialized cells for various tissues in the body. Such as heart muscle, brain tissue, and liver tissue.

ADULT STEM CELLS:  These type of cells don’t just come from ADULTS they can come from adults and children. -Can be taken from bone marrow or peripheral system.  Bone marrow has a rich source of stem cells: - Painful destruction of the bone can result from this.  These stem cells are specific to certain cell types: - blood, intestines, skin, and muscle

ADULT STEM CELLS CONT.  Peripheral stem cells: - No damage to bone, but takes more time -Difficult to extract - Superior to both umbilical and embryonic cells  Since the DNA is an exact match the body will never reject them.

 The most controversial of all stem cells.  How are the embryonic cells obtained - Aborted fetuses - Fertilized eggs left over from in vitro fertilization.  Are taken directly from an embryo before the embryo’s cells begin to differentiate EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS:

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS CONT.  Blastocyst - More than 100 cells - Most are stem cells  These stem cells can be kept alive forever grown in cultures. - double in # every 2-3 days  Can produce cells for almost every tissue in the body

Second rich source of stem cells Mother, father, and siblings can also use these cells Can be an exact match Common cell types like common blood types Extracted after baby is born -Stored in cryogenic cell banks UMBILICAL STEM CELLS THE DONATION OF STEM CELLS IS HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!

UMBILICAL STEM CELLS CONT.  Compared to adult cells and embryonic cells, umbilical cells are by far the richest form of stem cells.  They can be stored in advance so that they are available when they are needed

SOME DISEASES STEM CELLS CAN TREAT:

WHAT CAN STEM CELLS HEAL  Cells or tissues destroyed -generate new tissue  Cure diseases where there is no therapy -Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, spinal cord injury, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, cancer, and burns.  Help scientists understand why cells develop abnormally - birth defects and cancer

WHAT ELSE CAN STEM CELLS BE USED FOR?  Testing of drugs: -create unlimited amounts of specialized tissue - heart and brain tissue  Test how drugs react on these tissues before trying them out on animal and human subjects - drugs could be tested for effectiveness & side effects faster

FINAL THOUGHT: Embryonic stem cells stored over time have been shown to create the type of chromosomal anomalies that create cancer cells. When you look at it from this stand point funds devoted to embryonic stem cell research are funds being taken away from the other two more promising and less controversial type of stem cell research mentioned above.