For my research paper one of the options among a couple others that interest me is pluripotent stem cells. The intrigue to researching this topic is that it theoretically could be a solution to many diseases including all types of cancer and so forth. Obviously there are cons to this topic, the most well known of which is the destruction of human embryos. A pluripotent stem cell is fundamentally a cell that can give rise to any other type of cell. The embryonic stem cell in particular can give rise to ANY type. There are other stem cells found in other tissues and such but they are restricted to the tissue of origin. Thus the embryonic stem cell is the only kind that can give rise to ANY type. Another question that will be addressed is the use of iPS stem cells, meaning stem cells that humans induce into thinking they are embryonic stem cells. This is a fairly new field of study and holds much promise but has a long way to go so for the time being embryonic stem cells are the main source of interest. My preliminary hypothesis will be something along the lines of: Pluripotent stem cells hold the spotlight for medical advancement as well as ethical dilemmas. Obviously it will be improved but thats the gist of it. Some scholarly sites that could be a possibility are sites such as:
"An Overview of Stem Cell
Research | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity." An Overview
of Stem Cell Research | The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://cbhd.org/stem-cell-research/overview>.
or
"Stem Cells and Their
Uses." Embrionic Stem Cells. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.macalester.edu/academics/psychology/whathap/ubnrp/stemcells/embryonic.html>.
Lastly, the readers should be able to take away from this paper a better understanding of the dilemma
and possibilities that pluripotent stem cell research holds.
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