Embryo stem cell
Embryo stem cell research represents one of the most controversial issues in exploratory studies at present. Stem cells have to be collected from live embryos, a process during which the parenting cells die: this is the reason why so many pro-lifers speak of homicide. The problem is that starting from a mere embryo stem cell formation, scientists are now capable of creating all sorts of therapies and cures to deal with diseases and injuries that have always been diagnosed as irrecoverable. Stem cells can be extracted from other sources, such as adult tissues, but the treatment possibilities are limited under such circumstances.
Any embryo stem cell existent in a blastocyst (the fertilization product of an ovum by a sperm cell) has the infinite potential of transforming into any of the functional body cells that are specialized for a certain body task. All the complex body structures afterwards evolve from this primary cellular grouping that divides in an organized manner. The successes and benefits of science in this domain of research have an incredible value, but many people wonder about the right to life inherent to any result of conception. From this point of view any embryo stem cell research represents a violation of the sacred of the living.
If analyzed from a different angle, embryo stem cell research could bring cures and alleviation to the incredible pain specific to irrecoverable diseases. Efforts are being made in the direction of identifying other sources for stem cell collection that would spare the lives of embryos. For instance, the amniotic liquid could be a solution thanks to its richness in stem cells and the total inoffensiveness for the fetus. Then, some researchers have managed to reverse the evolution of normal somatic cells with a clear function in the body and turn them into non-specialized cells or stem cells.
By far the most reputable scientific conquest of the last twenty years, the collection of stem cells without harming the embryos has finally been put into practice. This achievement is definitely a novelty but it brings a solution for the ethical concerns that made the foundation for so many objections. Nevertheless, there are lots of other things to be understood or put into practice by modern medicine, before stem cells can solve the problem of the chronic diseases decimating humanity.