Author bio: Guest post is submitted by Sasha Bakhru, a leading scientist in the field of biomedicine today. Bakhru is also the VP, CTO and Co-founder of Perosphere Inc., a specialty pharmaceuticals company. Go to his website for more information.
Thanks to the new scientific research on the topic of stem cell therapy, we might finally be able to rid ourselves of the debate on the topic. Stem cell therapy has become incredibly controversial over the last few years due to the moral implications involved.
Stem cell therapy, particularly the use of human embryonic stem cells (hES), has offered significant hope for those impacted by painful and often lethal diseases. Millions all over the world have benefitted from this research. However, stem cell therapy continues to be an incredibly divisive issue due to its ties into politics, religion, and moral codes.
There are various types of stem cells being used in the leading research. Induced pluriopotent stem cells (iPS) cells are taken from adult cells and are approved by many religions and different political parties. Stem cells are actually naturally occurring cells in every human body.
The use of embryonic cells on the other hand brings up many different ethical questions. Here are some of the difficult questions involved:
- Does human life begin at fertilization, in the womb, or at birth?
- Is a human embryo of the same value as a human child?
- Do human embryos have rights?
- If destroying an embryo can cure a myriad of patients, is it justifiable?
These are obviously very difficult and extremely subjective personal questions. This makes it difficult for everyone to agree on the same answers. Luckily, we might be able to put an end to this debate very soon. The latest research shows that there are ways to stimulate a patient’s cells to behave in the same way that embryonic stem cells do. These naturally occurring adult iPS cells are eliminating the need to use embryonic cells which will hopefully satisfy everyone.
For more information on stem cells, check out the website of Sasha Bakhru.