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cure4lupus 
10:52pm, December 4, 2008
Stem cell research is an area of great political debate in this country right now. Most Americans however do not understand what it is, or what the debate is about. There is great hope that stem cell research could someday yield a cure for many diseases including Lupus. This page will help you understand the basics of stem cells and give you resources to learn more about them so that you can make informed decisions.
Stem cells are primal cells that all multi-cellular organisms have. They have the unique ability to renew themselves through cell division. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells meaning that they can become a wide variety of specialized (differentiated) cells such as red blood cells, insulin secreting pancreas cells, lung cells, brain cells, etc.
Scientists hope to be able to direct these cells into becoming specific specialized cells in order to understand, treat and cure a wide variety of diseases and conditions including Lupus, Parkinson's Disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, burns, heart disease, Diabetes, Osteo-Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, some Cancers, Muscular Dystrophy, and more.
There are two different kinds of stem cells, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are cells derived from embryos that were fertilized in an in-vitro fertilization clinic and then donated for research once they were no longer needed. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ.
Embryonic stem cells are the ones that have generated the ethical questions that are at the center of the debate. Extracting the stem cells from an embryo destroys the embryo. It is the opinion of some people that this is taking a human life. It is important to note however that these embryos would be destroyed if not donated to research.
While research with adult stem cells can and has yielded benefits, researchers believe that adult stem cells are not as durable, healthy or versatile as embryonic stem cells. They have more abnormalities due to exposure to environmental factors such as toxins. They also do not seem to have the ability to multiply the way embryonic stem cells can. Adult stem cells also can not be manipulated into specialized cells as well as embryonic stem cells can be, therefore limiting how they can be used to treat and cure diseases.
If you would like to learn more about stem cell research, below are some links to some very informative web pages dealing with this topic. After you have become educated about this issue, please consider writing to your legislators asking them to support and fund stem cell research, at the least with adult stem cells. You can also vote for politicians who will support and fund this life saving research. This is the most promising research in decades for not only Lupus but all the diseases mentioned above as well as others, hundreds of millions of lives could be saved and improved!
Mayo Clinic - Stem Cells: Sorting through the hype and the hope
National Institute of Health - Stem Cell Information
Stem Cell Research Foundation
Stem Cells Fight Lupus Video Click Here to View
Text on this page may be copied and reposted, but please post a link to our website (cure4lupus.org) with it.
Stem cells are primal cells that all multi-cellular organisms have. They have the unique ability to renew themselves through cell division. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells meaning that they can become a wide variety of specialized (differentiated) cells such as red blood cells, insulin secreting pancreas cells, lung cells, brain cells, etc.
Scientists hope to be able to direct these cells into becoming specific specialized cells in order to understand, treat and cure a wide variety of diseases and conditions including Lupus, Parkinson's Disease, spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer's Disease, stroke, burns, heart disease, Diabetes, Osteo-Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, some Cancers, Muscular Dystrophy, and more.
There are two different kinds of stem cells, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are cells derived from embryos that were fertilized in an in-vitro fertilization clinic and then donated for research once they were no longer needed. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells that are found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ.
Embryonic stem cells are the ones that have generated the ethical questions that are at the center of the debate. Extracting the stem cells from an embryo destroys the embryo. It is the opinion of some people that this is taking a human life. It is important to note however that these embryos would be destroyed if not donated to research.
While research with adult stem cells can and has yielded benefits, researchers believe that adult stem cells are not as durable, healthy or versatile as embryonic stem cells. They have more abnormalities due to exposure to environmental factors such as toxins. They also do not seem to have the ability to multiply the way embryonic stem cells can. Adult stem cells also can not be manipulated into specialized cells as well as embryonic stem cells can be, therefore limiting how they can be used to treat and cure diseases.
If you would like to learn more about stem cell research, below are some links to some very informative web pages dealing with this topic. After you have become educated about this issue, please consider writing to your legislators asking them to support and fund stem cell research, at the least with adult stem cells. You can also vote for politicians who will support and fund this life saving research. This is the most promising research in decades for not only Lupus but all the diseases mentioned above as well as others, hundreds of millions of lives could be saved and improved!
Mayo Clinic - Stem Cells: Sorting through the hype and the hope
National Institute of Health - Stem Cell Information
Stem Cell Research Foundation
Stem Cells Fight Lupus Video Click Here to View
Text on this page may be copied and reposted, but please post a link to our website (cure4lupus.org) with it.
