This resource is the government database for stem cell research, and thus contains a wealth of information. It has several pages of information about the government stance on stem cell research, what stem cell research is, what progress they have made on curing certain diseases, and ethics issues.
This is what it said the official U.S. policy to be: "On August 9th, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that federal funds may be awarded for research using human embryonic stem cells if the following criteria are met:
The derivation process (which begins with the destruction of the embryo) was initiated prior to 9:00 P.M. EDT on August 9, 2001.
The stem cells must have been derived from an embryo that was created for reproductive purposes and was no longer needed.
Informed consent must have been obtained for the donation of the embryo and that donation must not have involved financial inducements."
This is the site's description of the potential of stem cells. "Studying stem cells will help us understand how they transform into the dazzling array of specialized cells that make us what we are. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to problems that occur somewhere in this process. A better understanding of normal cell development will allow us to understand and perhaps correct the errors that cause these medical conditions.
Another potential application of stem cells is making cells and tissues for medical therapies. Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace those that are diseased or destroyed. Unfortunately, the number of people needing a transplant far exceeds the number of organs available for transplantation. Pluripotent stem cells offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat a myriad of diseases, conditions, and disabilities including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis."
I have learned that there have only been 71 stem cells available for research since the president banned their extraction in 2001. This leads me to a few questions.
Questions:
- Is this enough for the scientists to complete their research?
- Are you able to use one stem cell for many experiments?
- With only 71 stem cells, what would be the availibility of such tissue transplants? Would the people who recieve the transplant accept the new organ or reject it?
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