Stem+Cell+Article

Stem Cell Article (1) When were stem cells first taken from a human embryo?
 * They were first taken in 1998 in Dr. Thomson's laboratory in the University of Wisconsin.



(2) Why is obtaining stem cells from a human embryo so controversial? (3) What was/is the source of human embryos for stem cell research?
 * When the stem cell is taken from the human embryo, the person destroys the embryo. If the embryo is destroyed then the baby is killed (so it has some of the same issues that abortion would have... is killing a baby... or a future life ethical?)
 * The source are human embryos that are taken from fertility clinics. Dr. Thomson does this because these embryos have already been abandoned and have decided that they don't want the baby. He doesn't take a baby from a family/person who wants it, but rather from someone who has abandoned their embryo.

(mouse embryo) (human embryo)

(4) What is a stem cell?
 * A universal cell that can turn into any of the 220 cell types in the body. They usually develop a few days of embryonic development.



(5) What diseases do we think we could treat with stem cells? (6) Dr. Thomson is in the news again because he has turned ordinary skin cells into stem cells. How did he do this?
 * Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, and other complex human diseases. The think that they will be able to figure out the causes and new treatments for these diseases.They also think that they will be able to grow replacement tissue with stem cells.
 * He has to add four genes to the cell and then the sell will turn into something that looks exactly like stem cells.