Studying stem cells can help medicine in ways unimaginable. Many human birth defects as well as cancer in humans are caused by abnormal cell divisions. By studying stem cells, scientists are trying to fix these abnormal cells to prevent the conditions that have plagued humans for centuries. What makes stem cells unique is that they can function like most any cells in the body. The can be turned into liver cells, or bone cells. The only thing that they can’t do is carry oxygen through the blood stream and send electrochemical signals throughout the body.

The stem cell topic is very broad, but the most important use of stem cells now is with cell-based therapy. Today, the need for donated organs far exceeds the available supply of organs. By researching stem cells, scientists could culture, for instance, some healthy heart tissue and transplant it onto a heart that is plagued with heart disease. Scientists also theorize that stem cells can be used to replace cells in the pancreas of diabetic patients that have failed to produce insulin. Having to do with cancer, scientists think that if they can create stem cells to attack cancerous cells and replace them with strong tissue to completely eradicate cancer in the body.

Instead of talking about the political and religious aspect of stem cells (and the continuing debate about whether they are ethical) I want to focus my attention on the projected uses of stem cells. The media only usually reports about the stem cell debate; not the fact that stem cells may hold the key to a cancer cure. However, since stem cells are early growth cells, they have been found to cause cancer. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin have recently found a way to create stem cells without c-Ymc, a cell that is know to cause tumors in rats and humans.

The science of stem cells is changing everyday, and it is hard to stay updated on it, but I think by narrowing my research to the benefits of stem cells to improve human health, the topic will be more manageable