María José Rodríguez

Diploma

THE USE OF STEM CELLS FOR THERAPEUTIC

PURPOSES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS.
Stem cells have the remarkable ability of dividing and replicating themselves while
differentiating into multiple types of cells. Differentiation is the process in which stem cells
specialize into bountiful kinds of cells, depending on the type of stem cell they are, for
example, totipotent ones are those who can differentiate into any type of cell such as cardiac
muscle cells, smooth muscle cells, bone cells and many others. Not only this has been a
breakthrough in the field of biomedicine but also it is a therapeutic option for diseases and
injuries; because of the work of many scientists and the sharing of data between them, stem
cell technology is increasing rapidly in the field of regenerative medicine; however, this type
of research, especially with embryonic stem cells has caused many controversies, such as
ethical, social and legal ones. This essay attempts to expose the advancements of stem cell
research as well as its positive arguments while evaluating the ethical implications in the use
of this cells in therapeutic uses.

In 1981 scientists discovered ways to extract embryonic stem cells from mouse’s embryos,
this research led to the further exploration, and the discovery that it was possible to derive
stem cells from human embryos and grow those cells in a laboratory. The embryos used in
this type of studies were created in a treatment called In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), this process
counts with complex procedures used to treat genetic problems and help with the
conception of a child; “mature eggs are collected (retrieved) from your ovaries and fertilized
by sperm in a lab. Then the fertilized egg (embryo) or eggs are implanted in your uterus. One
cycle of IVF takes about two weeks.” (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Therefore, when the embryos are
no longer needed they are donated for research with consent from the donor. Subsequently
in 2016, researchers were able to identify the conditions in which they could allow some
specialized adult cells to be programmed again to assume a stem cell state. This type of cell
is called induced pluripotent stem cells.

As any medical or biomedical breakthrough, stem cell research has caused many
controversies, mostly because of the use of embryonic stem cells. They are derived from the
inner cell mass of the blastocyst 4-5 days after fertilization. They are not totipotent, but they
are pluripotent, which means they can transform into any type of cells. However, the
extraction of embryonic tissue for research purposes also involves the destruction of the
embryo itself, which has caused many debates about the creation and destruction of human
life and it has created the question “at what point do we afford the right to life?” this
discussion is mainly focused on the real purposes of IVF and says that the embryos that are
created could develop into a human fetus, which means human life is created to be
destroyed. In the other side, the use of embryonic stem cells has a big moral problem as it
María José Rodríguez
Diploma

brings principles into the discussion: the obligation or duty of easing pain and suffering and
on the contrary the value of human life and dignity.

In the religious side, there are plenty of people who believe that the use of embryonic stem
cells is a way of “playing to be God”. Aside from this, there could be criminal implications if
stem cell research successfully finds a way to replicate organs, it is easy to see the possibility
of turning that into a black market of organs which could even be potentially damaged. This
means that without proper regulations and governmental laws it could grow into a big issue.
Lastly even if stem cell research is only on early stage clinical trials It could turn out to be
expensive and thus only available for wealthy people. This in particular could create injustice
and inequality therefore violating basic principles of clinical research. The real challenge is to
make the treatment equal for the patients who are in need of them.

In the other hand, stem cell research is really important within medical advances, as it holds
the possibility of treating many degenerative diseases. Some treatments are already used in
clinical cases, which shows that these discoveries could hold the opportunity for a lot of
patients to, not only improve their health, but also to improve their quality of life. An example
of a recent therapeutic use of stem cells is the treatment for Stargardt´s disease. This disease
affects one in 10,000 children, it is a recessive genetic condition that causes transport
proteins on photoreceptors cells to malfunction, consequently the photoreceptor cells
deteriorate, which eventually causes progressive loss of central vision to the point of
blindness. The treatment for Stargardt´s disease consists on treating embryonic stem cells
and trigger differentiation into retinal cells, then they are injected into the retina and as they
attach into the retina they become more functional, this causes central vision to improve.
However, this is just one of the examples of the advances that have been possible to achieve
due to stem cell research.

This specific type of biomedical research gives an outstanding opportunity of changing organ
transplants. This is due to the fact that adult stem cells have low rejection rates given that
they are derived from the patient itself; also, even when familiar umbilical cord blood cells
are used to develop treatments the rejection chances are low as well. This makes it possible
for the need of suppression in the immune system to decrease, which could be helpful to
maintain a good quality of life for the patient.

Equally important, according to The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in article
one it says that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The word
“born” was principally used to exclude the fetus and the embryo from human rights. This
means that until a human being is born it isn´t considered a person in legal and constitutional
conditions. However, the legal status of the embryo and fetus also depends on the country
and its own laws. For instance, the European Court of Human Rights (specifically in France)
affirmed that “the unborn child is not regarded as a person directly protected by article 2 of
María José Rodríguez
Diploma

the Convention and that if the unborn do have the ´right´ to ´life,’ it is implicitly limited by
the mother´s rights and interests, including her rights to life, health, and privacy”. From
another perspective, the US Supreme Court has never stated the constitutional status of the
embryo, and most of US states have no law related to it. However, the court has said that a
fetus is not a person in consequence of the 14th Amendment and its meaning, which states,
“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,
are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside” (Cornell Law School,
2012).

Lastly, according to the U.S National Library of Medicine, the embryo doesn’t form a nervous
system until the fifth week of pregnancy; and it must be remembered that the derivation of
stem cells happens between the fourth and fifth day after fertilization, which means that the
embryo can´t feel any kind of pain whatsoever. In the case of adult stem cells, the process is
far more complicated, as the cells are “hidden” in the tissue, it is difficult to find viable ones
for therapies, in addition to the fact that the process for the collection of cells is incredibly
painful for the patient. On top of that stem cells can be created without fertilization and the
destruction of natural embryos due to the process of induced pluripotent stem cells.

To conclude, the medical advances that stem cell research has brought into clinical
treatments has helped a lot of patients to improve their health. As any new discovery it has
caused controversy and debates all around the world. However, these implications can be
controlled with time and more discussion. This new field of regenerative medicine can
change the way we treat numerous diseases, with the opportunity of improving quality of
life. Currently, a lot of scientists have been working on new methods of stem cell research
that can potentially change the perception of this investigations in a religious, social and
political point of view.

REFERENCES:

1. “Introduction to cells” (Bioknowledgy)

https://www.bioknowledgy.info/11-introduction-to-cells.html

2. “Embryonic stem Cell Research Ethical and Legal Controversies.” Patil, A. (2014)
http://medind.nic.in/jal/t14/i2/jalt14i2p188.pdf

3. “Fetal development” (U.S National Library of Medicine) 2014

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002398.htm

4. “14th Amendment (Cornell Law School) 2012

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv
María José Rodríguez
Diploma