The Role of Stem Cells in Basic Research
Stem cells offer opportunities for scientific advances that go far beyond regenerative medicine. They offer a window for addressing many of biology's most fundamental questions.
Watching embryonic stem cells give rise to specialized cells is like peeking into the earliest development of the many tissues and organs of the human body. Stem cell research may help clarify the role genes play in human development and how genetic mutations affect normal processes. They can be used to study how infectious agents invade and attack human cells, to investigate the genetic and environmental factors that are involved in cancer and other diseases, and to decipher what happens during aging.
Stem cells may also revolutionize traditional chemical medicine. Because embryonic stem cells can continue to divide for long periods of time and produce a variety of cell types, they could provide a valuable source of human cells for testing drugs or measuring the effects of toxins on normal tissues without risking the health of a single human volunteer. In the future, thousands of compounds could be quickly tested on a wide assortment of cell types derived from stem cells, making drug discovery more efficient and cost effective.
Using nuclear transfer to produce stem cells could be particularly useful for testing drugs for disorders that are of genetic origin. For example, it is difficult to study the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in the brains of live patients- but by using the cells of an Alzheimer's patient to create stem cell lines with nuclear transfer, scientists could trace the development of the disease in a culture dish and test drugs that regenerate lost nerve cells with no danger to the patient.
Stem cells may also help scientists calculate the effects of toxic substances in drugs, food, and the environment.
Watching embryonic stem cells give rise to specialized cells is like peeking into the earliest development of the many tissues and organs of the human body. Stem cell research may help clarify the role genes play in human development and how genetic mutations affect normal processes. They can be used to study how infectious agents invade and attack human cells, to investigate the genetic and environmental factors that are involved in cancer and other diseases, and to decipher what happens during aging.
Stem cells may also revolutionize traditional chemical medicine. Because embryonic stem cells can continue to divide for long periods of time and produce a variety of cell types, they could provide a valuable source of human cells for testing drugs or measuring the effects of toxins on normal tissues without risking the health of a single human volunteer. In the future, thousands of compounds could be quickly tested on a wide assortment of cell types derived from stem cells, making drug discovery more efficient and cost effective.
Using nuclear transfer to produce stem cells could be particularly useful for testing drugs for disorders that are of genetic origin. For example, it is difficult to study the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases in the brains of live patients- but by using the cells of an Alzheimer's patient to create stem cell lines with nuclear transfer, scientists could trace the development of the disease in a culture dish and test drugs that regenerate lost nerve cells with no danger to the patient.
Stem cells may also help scientists calculate the effects of toxic substances in drugs, food, and the environment.