Cord blood stem cell research is one of the most beneficial researches that give great contribution for people’s life. Although there are many statements against this cord blood stem cell research, but in fact there is no denying toward the effectiveness in the treatment of some cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.
Cord blood stem cell research is continuing and its uses in cloning are under extensive evaluation and testing. Many people believe that umbilical cord blood stem cells present a more ethically responsible way to conduct therapeutic cloning, thereby helping alleviate much of the controversy surrounding stem cell research. Also, collecting stem cells from umbilical cord blood is a less complicated process compared with obtaining stem cells from other sources.
Based on the cord blood stem cell research, storing umbilical cord blood in a cord blood bank allows for the treatment of disease or illness in children. In the future, stem cell cloning research may permit the use of stem cells to treat not only the child whose cord blood is stored, but also his relatives, providing more comprehensive therapeutic options.
The cord blood stem cells are different from embryonic stem cells. After long years cord blood stem cell research, cord blood stem cells are free from the controversy that surrounds them. In fact, cord blood stem cells belong to a different group of stem cells entirely, called adult stem cells. There is no embryos that are destroyed in the collected of cord blood stem cells.
At this time, these are going to give you the information about the pros and cons of cord blood stem cell research that will help you to be more knowledgeable in this field. So, just take a look at the following information and be knowledgeable on cord blood stem cell research.
As stated above, from the cord blood stem cell research, it is believed that cord blood has been very beneficial for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma. These kinds of diseases are actually forms of cancer that influence the body’s immune system, rendering it defenseless from common infections and diseases. So it is not unheard of for sufferers of these diseases to die from a common cold or stomach flu.
Before the invention of cord blood stem cell research, these diseases were treated by surgery and usually involving an implant of bone marrow from a compatible donor. Occasionally, these operations become successful in putting the cancer into remission.
However, because surgery is such an invasive procedure, both the recipient and the donor have to suffer significant trauma in order for the healing process to begin. Also, this procedure opens up the possibility of the host developing graft versus host disease where the transplanted tissue is rejected by the body of the host.
On the other hand, instead of having the pros, the cord blood stem cell research also comes with the cons. Critics of cord blood stem cell research say that umbilical cord blood transplants are only a step away from the more controversial embryonic stem cell harvesting.
This procedure enables the growth of entire organs and it is a life-saving treatment for patients with heart and kidney ailments. However, this involves the extraction of stem cells from fetuses that have been aborted, and abortion as a medical practice is a very controversial topic today. It challenges the people’s deep-seated values and this is actually the heart of these heated debates.
Critics of cord blood stem cell research argue that if these practices become prevalent, then there is nothing to prevent the practice of human cloning. Moral, ethical, and even religious concerns have been raised regarding these topics. Critics often call any kind of interference with the natural birth process as “playing God”. Currently, the world at large remains undecided as to its general stand regarding the topics of cord blood stem cell research, abortion, and human cloning, all of which are interrelated to each other.
