For the future generations
When Polly Molly appeared a few years ago (that’s after Dolly appeared in 96), and forthwith its application in human tissue research there was quite an ethical debacle whether the stem cells research stands on the thin line of human infanticide.
What had me go through these research findings is that after almost ten years when the first cloned mammals came into being, humans have now been offered possibility of preserving stem cells from the umbilical cord of a new born child. So that they can be used later to treat many of the diseases and cover up for heart disease, diabetes and certain type of cancer.
So where does this thin line gets blurrier, so a bit of diving into the actual process is needed. Stem cells which form the base of this research are extracted from human embryos and have the potential to developing into 220 types of cells found in human body, which can then come in handy for treating various types of illnesses by replacing the faulty ones in cases of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries. But because we already read the word embryo before, so the latent desire to do anything from the primal being of a human being gets laid to rest in the argument that we are toying with the very thing which eventually gives rise to a human child and therefore is as good as killing a child itself. On ethical grounds if scientist can prove at what stage in life does sentience arise, then this debate can be laid at rest. But sure a slippery slope. Many who did read this issue of TIME’s (The Brain: A User’s Guide) are now well aware of the hard problem and the soft problem.
Back to the topic at hand, we are somewhat spared of this ethical quagmire as the cells used from the umbilical cord is for the well being of the child itself, and anyhow the cord does get discarded as a biological waste after the child birth but now can be put in saving the child itself.
Stem cell research can be broadly categorized into embryonic stem cells, cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells wherein the listing appears from left to right in terms of usefulness. Embryonic having the most potential options but requires the destruction of a human embryo for various research the next one is via the cells found in the umbilical cord which are still in the nascent stages of differentiation can be preserved cryogenically for long run, the last adult stem cells can be extracted from the bone marrows but because of limited cell extraction offers lesser chances of experimentation.
But anyhow, what I like to assert is that maybe this cord blood cell preservation is a bright idea, applications and feasibility of which can be seen in years to come but to reap the rewards we must decide before hand whether we should/shouldn’t opt for it. Stem cell research is now available in India by Life Cell India and can cost around forty to seventy thousand. Who knows science does find a panacea to most of our problems atleast from the perspective of time, I mean what we had twenty years ago and what we have now, I sure am an optimist in thinking that stem cells can come in handy with extended applications to fields which aren’t possible now.
So any "to-be" parents reading this should give it a second thought.
Reference: Wikipedia, WorldBook
What had me go through these research findings is that after almost ten years when the first cloned mammals came into being, humans have now been offered possibility of preserving stem cells from the umbilical cord of a new born child. So that they can be used later to treat many of the diseases and cover up for heart disease, diabetes and certain type of cancer.
So where does this thin line gets blurrier, so a bit of diving into the actual process is needed. Stem cells which form the base of this research are extracted from human embryos and have the potential to developing into 220 types of cells found in human body, which can then come in handy for treating various types of illnesses by replacing the faulty ones in cases of Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, burns and spinal cord injuries. But because we already read the word embryo before, so the latent desire to do anything from the primal being of a human being gets laid to rest in the argument that we are toying with the very thing which eventually gives rise to a human child and therefore is as good as killing a child itself. On ethical grounds if scientist can prove at what stage in life does sentience arise, then this debate can be laid at rest. But sure a slippery slope. Many who did read this issue of TIME’s (The Brain: A User’s Guide) are now well aware of the hard problem and the soft problem.
Back to the topic at hand, we are somewhat spared of this ethical quagmire as the cells used from the umbilical cord is for the well being of the child itself, and anyhow the cord does get discarded as a biological waste after the child birth but now can be put in saving the child itself.
Stem cell research can be broadly categorized into embryonic stem cells, cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells wherein the listing appears from left to right in terms of usefulness. Embryonic having the most potential options but requires the destruction of a human embryo for various research the next one is via the cells found in the umbilical cord which are still in the nascent stages of differentiation can be preserved cryogenically for long run, the last adult stem cells can be extracted from the bone marrows but because of limited cell extraction offers lesser chances of experimentation.
But anyhow, what I like to assert is that maybe this cord blood cell preservation is a bright idea, applications and feasibility of which can be seen in years to come but to reap the rewards we must decide before hand whether we should/shouldn’t opt for it. Stem cell research is now available in India by Life Cell India and can cost around forty to seventy thousand. Who knows science does find a panacea to most of our problems atleast from the perspective of time, I mean what we had twenty years ago and what we have now, I sure am an optimist in thinking that stem cells can come in handy with extended applications to fields which aren’t possible now.
So any "to-be" parents reading this should give it a second thought.
Reference: Wikipedia, WorldBook
Labels: Life
posted by Rebus at 2/10/2007 10:21:00 PM
3 Comments:
Hmm..interesting. ATleast in the US..stemm cell research will only be a concept until the next Presidntial elecations...righ now it is an absoulte no-no fpr the same reasons you just decribed. But despite the moral debate...it is going to happen be it in India or South Korea and mankind is definitely going to benefit..it is science, no one can stop it.
Cord blood cell preservation is indeed a great idea.But right now however being a novel concept it is not still cost effective and accessible to everyone.But I think even if you don't want to preserve your child's cord blood there is another way where you can donate your child's cord blood to a public pool where perhaps it might serve as a life saver for some other affected kid.We have preserved our kid's cord blood.It's great that it's getting its footing in India also.Stem cell reasearch is indeed a very controversial subject because medical field has lot of ethical issues.But cord blood concept as you say is a good option.
Great post!Thanks for the visit at my blog.Loved your blog,will visit often!
@Orchid: Yeah, the time has come we only wait for the approval gong.
@FuzzyLogic: Thanks for telling that we can donate the cord blood cells, and right medical field has many ethical problems like the pillow angel we read in Time few issues back.
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