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Stem Cell Research

Stem cells play an important role in regenerative medicine. This is due to their critical role in the treatment of many complex diseases and injuries. You shall see so much promise in stem cell research, and even more controversy the subject can raise.
Stem cells are special cells in our bodies, which can change into different types of cells, like muscle cells, organ cells, as well as brain cells. You will hear of two types of stem cells; embryonic stem cells, and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells originate from unused human embryos, and serve well in research. Such embryos are gotten by the in vitro fertilization process. They can become many different types of cells. Adult stem cells are more limited in transformation, and thus can only become one of two types. They are gotten from fully developed tissue, such as in bone marrow, skin and brain.
Seeing as stem cells can become other cells, stem cell therapy works to using them to replace ones damaged or dysfunctional. Here are cases that show what potential stem cell therapy holds.
Damaged corneas have been repaired in this process before. Stem cells shall be harvested from the limbus, that area of the eye between the iris and sclera. They shall then be multiplied in the lab. Once they hit a desirable number, they will be put back into the damaged eye, thus giving you your sight back.
There is now replacement of skin for those who have gone through a life-threatening burn. Skin stem cells shall be used to grow sheets of new skin, which shall then be used to cover areas that lost skin in the burn. The research currently is focused on finding ways to make the new skin have its own hair, sweat glands, and oil glands.
Stem cells have also proven beneficial in eliminating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Should the brain cells or neurons of the dopamine-producing areas of the brain degenerate, the patients will go through tremors, slow movement, the rigidity of the limbs, balance and gait issues, alterations in their speech and writing. Stem cells shall be how you get new neurons in that region, to get the production of dopamine back on track.
Chemotherapy, while ideal for treating cancer, shall destroy even your stem cells. Once you finish your regimen, you need to have those cells reintroduced into your system. They shall be placed in the bone marrow, to grow and become healthy blood cells.
There are more places stem cell therapy is needed, such as in handling the damage heart diseases come with. These examples go to show why support for stem cell research is necessary. You will get to learn more about it on this site.

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