Aranda Daniel Stem Cells May Be the Cure For many years people all over the world have had to deal with cancer whether it s being diagnosed with the disease or having a loved one who s been diagnosed Cancer is a disease where an abnormal number of cells grow and infect the body The cells can spread from one body part to another in a matter of weeks As of now there is no cure for cancer but they re treatments for this disease such as radiation chemotherapy and surgery People have been lucky enough to beat the disease but for many the cancer is just in remission and will reappear Although there is no cure for cancer there is a theory about where and how the disease comes to fruition The stem cell theory of cancer proposes that among all cancerous cells a few acts as stem cells that reproduce themselves and sustain the cancer much like normal stem cells normally renew and sustain our organs and tissues In this view cancer cells that are not stem cells can cause problems but they cannot sustain an attack on our bodies over the long term Stanford University Ludwig Center The theory suggests that cancerous cells originated from stem cells Stems cells are undifferentiated cells that are found in multicellular organisms Stem cells are known as the body s raw materials because these are 1 Aranda Daniel cells that have no job They can divide into different cells which are known as daughter cells After they become the daughter cells the cells either become new stem cells or they become specialized cells that perform a function Stem cells are the only cells that can adapt and generate into new cells This unique function is why people in the medical field are continuously pushing for stem cell research to become legal all over the world The controversy with stem cells begins with their origins and where doctors would have to retrieve to study the cell The different type of stems cells are embryo and adult stem cells Adult stems cells can be found in adult tissue such as the fat or bone marrow These cells are not as versatile as embryo stem cells but more research is proving that adult stem cells can create a variety of cells as well Also the cells can be altered into acting like an embryo stem cell by being genetically reprogram This research was a solution for the legal issue that revolves around stem cell research but scientists aren t sure about the side effects of the altered cell Embryo stem cells are the reason why stem cells are labeled as unethical and illegal The embryo stem cells are only a few days old which derive from a woman s egg and a man s sperm The embryo stem cell versatility enables the cell 2 Aranda Daniel to become any cell in the body and can help regenerate and repair damaged organs As stated in the Medical News Today journal This potential could save lives or repair wounds and tissue damage in people after an illness or injury Scientists see many possible uses for stem cells Murrell The uses for stem cells are numerous such as tissue regeneration cardiovascular disease cell deficiency or brain disease treatment For example In 2013 a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital reported in PNAS Early Edition that they had created blood vessels in laboratory mice using human stem cells Within 2 weeks of implanting the stem cells networks of blood perfused vessels had formed The quality of these new blood vessels was as good as the nearby natural ones The authors hoped that this type of technique could eventually help to treat people with cardiovascular and vascular diseases Murrell The main reason why stem cell research is not legal is because it is viewed as unethical and immoral The minute the sperm and the egg become one man people who are pro life view this as the beginning of human life Although no heartbeat or limbs are formed yet it is the start of someone cells creation them In 2001 President Bush approved funding for stem cell research for embryos that were already destroyed but prohibited any funding for new embryos to be destroyed President Bush kept his pro life views afloat but still granted the 3 Aranda Daniel permission for the research even though he knew it offered solutions for degenerative diseases As pointed out in Ethical Issues in Stem Cell Research scientific experts including the Director of the NIH under President Bush believe that a lack of access to new embryonic stem cell lines hinders progress toward stem cell based transplantation Lo Parham This ban limited funding for the project and limited the research needed to find cure for many diseases It wasn t until 2009 the Obama administration signed an executive order to fund the practice of embryonic stem research Although the ban was reverse by President Obama many states still have a ban on stem cell research and funding is sparse towards an intriguing medical benefit As I stated earlier researchers have found stem cells in cancerous cells which explains the cancerous cells versatility According to the Stanford Ludwig Center One component of the cancer stem cell theory concerns how cancers arise For a cell to become cancerous it must undergo a significant number of essential changes in the DNA sequences that regulate the cell Conventional cancer theory is that any cell in the body can undergo these changes and become a cancerous outlaw But researchers at the Ludwig Center observe that our normal stem cells are the only cells that reproduce themselves and are therefore around long enough to accumulate all the necessary changes to produce cancer The 4 Aranda Daniel theory therefore is that cancer stem cells arise out of normal stem cells or the precursor cells that normal stem cells produce Stanford University Ludwig Center 5