-
Essay / Embryonic Stem Cells - 1262
Since the advent of embryonic stem cells, scientists around the world have attempted to understand the endless possibilities these cells offer, harnessing them to create synthetic organs and cure previously incurable diseases . However, embryonic stem cells face a lot of opposition in terms of the ethics involved in obtaining these cells from embryos and mothers, as well as the possible health risks associated with them. Nevertheless, this area is very promising and should not be ignored solely because of these problems. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have a rare senescent capacity to divide infinitely (Rippon and Bishop, 2004) and differentiate into any cell. type (are pluripotent). As their name suggests, they come from surplus embryos or blastocysts from IVF treatments (Fig. 1); specifically of the inner cell mass – a small cluster of 30 cells in the hollow blastocyst (Rippon & Bishop, 2004). These cells are then cultured on a sterile, nutrient-rich inert culture medium and are incubated at 37℃ (to maintain an optimal temperature for various processes) with oxygen (LeCornu & Diercks 2009), and passaged after reaching confluence adequate, thus preventing contact inhibition (Stevenson, 2009). Additionally, because hESCs tend to differentiate spontaneously, they are often cultured with feeder cells (MEFs) that provide them with LIF (Leukemia-Inhibitory Factor), a growth factor responsible for inhibiting hESC differentiation. , while allowing their proliferation (Niwa, 2004). ). Once a large number of hESCs are formed, they can be cultured with certain growth factors and stimulated to differentiate into specific cells. These cells can then be used in the regenerative treatment of various diseases, and even to synthesize hESCs) grown in grafted human tissues injected with hESCs, the likelihood that hESCs will cause “aggressive tumors” (Verloes et. al. , 2011) in humans is increased. This possibility of hESCs turning into cancer seriously calls into question patient safety, raising concerns about the safety of such new technology. However, these scientific problems will be overcome through technological advances and continued research, and the majority of people believe that the ethical obligation to preserve current life and the economic and social benefits that flow from it far outweigh moral injustices linked to the destruction of embryos. Faced with large-scale deaths and suffering caused by diseases, embryonic stem cell treatments (regenerative treatment and therapeutic cloning) could mark a new beginning for society and a new solution. A solution that is only possible with further research.