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The use of embryonic stem cells has been highly-publicized and
is controversial. Most of the current methods used to harvest embryonic
stem cells destroy the embryo. Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent
stem cells that differentiate into all of the specific cell types
that make up the human body. Adult stem cells, or multipotent
stem cells, refers to those found throughout the human body, which
are part of the natural healing process throughout your life. Stem
cells – adult and embryonic – have two unique properties: (1)
they replicate to create many more stem cells, and; (2) they
can grow into different types of cells throughout the body – liver,
muscle, bone, nerve, etc. In fact, certain types of adult
stem cells will replicate for several months outside of the body
in the laboratory, creating more stem cells that are used in medical
treatments.
Embryonic stem cell research contributes significantly to the scientific understanding
of adult stem cells; knowledge that is now being used to research new medical
treatments utilizing harvested adult stem cells.
An important factor in adult stem cell medical treatments is the value of using
the patient’s own stem cells in order to create the most effective medical
treatments that will not be rejected by the body's immune system. New
treatments using adult stem cells, such as those found in teeth and bone marrow,
are the focus of countless medical research studies around the world.
After twenty years of research, there are no approved treatments or successful
human trials utilizing embryonic stem cells. Their tendency to produce teratomas
and malignant carcinomas, cause transplant rejection and form random undirected
types of cells are just a few of the hurdles that embryonic stem cell researchers
still face. Many nations currently have governmentally-imposed restrictions on
either embryonic stem cell research or the production of new embryonic stem cell
lines. Because of their combined abilities of unlimited expansion
and pluripotency, embryonic stem cells remain a theoretically potential source
for regenerative medicine and tissue replacement after injury or disease.
For more information on stem cells, you may be interested in the official National
Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research (download here)
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