This article was inspired after reading many reports in daily newspapers and particularly in one issue of National Geographic about the Stem Cells.
Basics
Before our birth into this world, we were all embryo's and then grew up into foetus and then came out as a baby and grow up into what we are today. Our body as you know is made up of tissues, which are made up of cells, that are specific to the organs where they live, like nerve cells, liver cells, bone cells etc... There are 200 or so kinds of cells that constitute a human body. A lot of cells grow and die in our body every day.
Stem cells
These are the special cells that can be mapped into a particular kind of cells. That is they are the generalized cells. There are two kinds of stems cells - Embryonic Stem cells and Adult stem cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells
These cells had to be plucked from a young human embryo. These cells have the ability to modify themselves into any form of cell. But this ability of those cells happen only in the Mother's womb - Natural way, as of today. Scientists are trying to figure out the process and want to coax these naive embryonic stem cells to modify themselves into the required specific type of cell. For example, if a person's liver has been affected, and incase if they had obtained his/her embryonic cells's (it should have been obtained, as soon as he/she had developed into an embryo in his/her mother's womb.) they could coax them into liver cells, mulitply them and infuse them into his body (there are very rare chance of rejection, as it's his own body cell). These freshly infused cells may cure the old and damaged cells and thereby set his liver right.
Adult Stem Cells
These are the immature cells found in specific regions of our body like bone marrow and other organs in adult human beings. But these cells, usually can be coaxed only to emulate the cells in that part of the human body, from which they had been taken. But again there are a few arguments that the research can be advanced and these adult stem cells can be made to coaxed into any kind of cell required.
Future Research
Currently Stem cell research seemed to be bogged down in controversies over religion. i.e., A lot of people seem to be opposing this research. Also other ideas, like taking cells from the umbilical cards (that are discarded at birth), unwanted embryos disposed by fertility clinics are being floated. But still then, a significant amount of research has seemed to happen with U.S leading with the identification 70 embryonic stem lines, followed by Sweden and South Korean, which has 24 embryonic stem cell lines identified. (though it has limited the research, because of religious issues). India too figures in the list, with 10 stem lines being identified, as of date.
Basics
Before our birth into this world, we were all embryo's and then grew up into foetus and then came out as a baby and grow up into what we are today. Our body as you know is made up of tissues, which are made up of cells, that are specific to the organs where they live, like nerve cells, liver cells, bone cells etc... There are 200 or so kinds of cells that constitute a human body. A lot of cells grow and die in our body every day.
Stem cells
These are the special cells that can be mapped into a particular kind of cells. That is they are the generalized cells. There are two kinds of stems cells - Embryonic Stem cells and Adult stem cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells
These cells had to be plucked from a young human embryo. These cells have the ability to modify themselves into any form of cell. But this ability of those cells happen only in the Mother's womb - Natural way, as of today. Scientists are trying to figure out the process and want to coax these naive embryonic stem cells to modify themselves into the required specific type of cell. For example, if a person's liver has been affected, and incase if they had obtained his/her embryonic cells's (it should have been obtained, as soon as he/she had developed into an embryo in his/her mother's womb.) they could coax them into liver cells, mulitply them and infuse them into his body (there are very rare chance of rejection, as it's his own body cell). These freshly infused cells may cure the old and damaged cells and thereby set his liver right.
Adult Stem Cells
These are the immature cells found in specific regions of our body like bone marrow and other organs in adult human beings. But these cells, usually can be coaxed only to emulate the cells in that part of the human body, from which they had been taken. But again there are a few arguments that the research can be advanced and these adult stem cells can be made to coaxed into any kind of cell required.
Future Research
Currently Stem cell research seemed to be bogged down in controversies over religion. i.e., A lot of people seem to be opposing this research. Also other ideas, like taking cells from the umbilical cards (that are discarded at birth), unwanted embryos disposed by fertility clinics are being floated. But still then, a significant amount of research has seemed to happen with U.S leading with the identification 70 embryonic stem lines, followed by Sweden and South Korean, which has 24 embryonic stem cell lines identified. (though it has limited the research, because of religious issues). India too figures in the list, with 10 stem lines being identified, as of date.
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