Is there actual evidence that stem cells from human embryos will yield cures for diease?
Not at all. Human embryonic stem cells have not yet successfully treated any disease. Currently, the NIH says that “any therapies based on the use of human ES cells are still hypothetical and highly experimental.” Scientists are only in the very preliminary stages of figuring out how to induce the cells to change into particular types of cells that could theoretically be transplanted into someone’s body. Researchers have also encountered a number of safety concerns with embryonic stem cells. For example, when transplanted into a patient, embryonic stem cells have a tendency to form tumors. This tendency, says the NIH, “evokes the greatest level of concern.” What is the current state of research on adult stem cells? Doctors already use adult stem cells to treat a host of human diseases, including cancers, autoimmune diseases, stroke, cartilage and bone damage, and blood and liver diseases. Scientists are continually discovering new capabilities of adult stem cells, human and animal. For
Related Questions
- What are the potential uses of human stem cells and the obstacles that must be overcome before these potential uses will be realised?
- DOES AUSTRALIAN LEGISLATION PERMIT THE CLONING OF EARLY HUMAN EMBRYOS IN THE MANNER UNDERTAKEN BY ACT?
- When were early human stem cells first isolated from IVF-blastocysts?
