I have chosen to do my research of news articles on stem cell research, an often controversial, but necessary topic. In my first article, from, The New York Times, titled, “Cloning and
Stem Cell Work Earn Nobel,” by Nicholas Wade, I learned that stem cells generated by the induced pluriponent cells (IPS) will enable replacement tissue to be generated from a patient’s own cells for use against a vast variety of degenerative diseases. Though this breakthrough is still in the distant future, there is very prominent research being done on the subject to make it a reality. I also learned that cells have already been proven very useful in studying the formation of a disease. Cells generated by a patient have been used to form the tissue that is diseased, enabling biologists, in some cases, to be able to proactively track the steps in which the disease is developed. This research is extremely important for people battling Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. The second article, also from The New York Times, written by Henry Fountain, goes on to explain how important the study and research of stem cells will be in the care and treatment of babies born prematurely that is affected by a disorder that causes most of their intestines to have to be removed.
Dr. Grikscheit, a surgeon in L.A., is at the forefront in her studies to build replacement organs and tissues, working and studying primarily on rats and having tremendous results. She hopes that by combining her lab work with her surgical practices that she will be able to do what she always thought surgeons should be doing, which is moving medicine ahead.
My third and final article entitled, “Body Builders; Human Muscle Regrown on Animal Scaffolding’” by Henry Fountain, published in The New York Times, goes on to show just how crucial it is that we embrace the use of stem cells to better the lives of people from all walks of life that need a better solution than just what the normal medical practices are now. In Pittsburgh, Sgt. Ron Stang, returning from
Afghanistan with part of his left thigh missing from a roadside bomb, got new hope to walk again with less difficulty and even run like he used to love to do before the accident. A thin sheet of material from a pig called extracellular material was what his doctors told him could be his answer. This natural scaffolding underlies all tissues and organs in people as well as humans. This material is produced by cells and also signals the body to grow and repair those tissues and organs. SGT. Stang is now able to walk with a slight limp, hardly noticeable, and is even jogging on a treadmill