By: Krithika Pininti
Imagine the shock of bypass surgery. Now imagine this same ‘heart attack’ healing, not through medication or surgery, but on its own. Imagine the recovery happening in days, not months or years or, perhaps, ever. This isn’t science fiction. It’s real. This is the concept of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. We presently stand at the threshold of a remarkable new field of biomedical engineering, one in which stem cells are leveraged to build tissues and organs from the bottom up. Broken bones can be repaired, fragile hearts patched and shattered limbs knitted back together.
Stem Cells: Building Blocks of Life
What are stem cells? What is their importance? Biology describes them this way: stem cells are special cells that can grow into many different types found in the body (Stanford Medicine). They are like the raw materials that the body uses to specialize. Stem cells can copy themselves, making more stem cells, and they can also change “into specialized cells with specific functions” (Muacevic, Adler 2023). Think of this way: a nerve cell transmits messages from the body and the nervous system. A muscle cell allows the cell to contract to make movement. A stem cell has no special role. It does not have a ‘job’. Rather, it can become a particular cell– whichever your body needs or hopes to add. For example, “hematopoietic stem cells reside in the bone marrow and can produce all the cells that function in the blood. Stem cells also can become brain cells, heart muscle cells, bone cells or other cell types” (Mayo Clinic 2024). This is what makes it special from other cells.
Not all stem cells are alike: there are those derived from embryos, those from adults and those manufactured by scientists in the laboratory. Stem cells show promise for curing disease, aiding in mending injuries, and (maybe someday) replacing lost organs.
Understanding Stem Cells: Types and Potential
Stem cells have the extraordinary ability to develop into different cell types in the body. There are various types of stem cells, each with its own unique properties:
Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs): Derived from embryos, it can differentiate into any cell of the body, giving it more freedom. “Embryonic stem cells are the most versatile since they can develop into all the cells of the developing fetus” (Mayo Clinic 2024).
Adult Stem Cells: These stem cells are found in specific tissues throughout the body and play a role in tissue maintenance and repair (Muacevic, Adler 2023). Adult stem cells have a more restricted ability to differentiate compared to embryonic stem cells, but they still hold promise for various applications in regenerative medicine and tissue repair.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs): These “are adult cells that have been reprogrammed in the laboratory to revert to a pluripotent state, similar to embryonic stem cells.” iPSCs have great potential for personalized medicine (Foley 2023).
Each type of stem cell has its own set of advantages and challenges, but collectively, they offer promising avenues for advancing in the regenerative medicine field.
Ethical Concerns?
Stem cells– the phrase holds promise for generations to come. Therefore, everything is perfect, right? Wrong. Ethical issues related to stem cell research do exist. The extraction of the embryonic stem cells happens from the embryo thus, this process results in the destruction of the embryo. Taking that into account, there are many arguments on the ethics of embryonic stem cells use. Some think that it is ethical because the embryo is not completely developed and doesn’t yet have its own consciousness. While others point out that the embryo is deprived of the right to life.
To decide for yourself, think about the following questions: What are the expected benefits for the person who is going to be treated under this protocol? What are the possible risks? What are the possible side effects? Is an embryo to be regarded as an already fully fledged person? Is an embryo its own entity that deserves rights? What is the point at which a fertilized egg is considered a person?
This divide is a problematic issue that we need to tackle with due consideration. In the end, it all depends on one’s conscience as to what is ethically right or wrong.
MCR Committee: Bio-medical Engineering
Bibliography:
“Stem Cells: What They Are and What They Do.” Mayo Clinic, 23 Mar. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/bone-marrow-transplant/in-depth/stem-cells/art-20048117.
“What Are Stem Cells?” Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=what-are-stem-cells-160-38.
“Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells in the Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Comprehensive Review.” National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 31 Aug. 2023, Alexander Muacevic and John R Adler www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10497883.
— -. “Decoding Stem Cell Treatments: Sources, Contrasts, and PRP in Regenerative Medicine.” Performance Optimal Health, 6 July 2023, Shane Foley performanceoptimalhealth.com/blog/optimal-health/a-stem-cell-is-not-a-stem-sell-understanding-the-different-types-of-stem-cell-treatments-sources-and-platelet-rich-plasma.