
Possibilities for “The Future” have been dangled in front of the eyes of the world for centuries, and with each passing year, allow us to dream and achieve more than even before. With bizarre ideas about flying cars, artificial intelligence, and life on other planets it is hard to see what is helpful and what is not. New things are being discovered everyday and with the recent popularity of two-wheeled “hover boards”, the future really is near. Nothing shows progress better than medical advancements, the most revolutionary being the possible uses of Stem Cells. According to Boston Children’s Hospital, these cells were first successfully obtained by “Martin Evans of the University of Cambridge and Gail Martin of the University of California, San Francisco,” in 1881 when they “conduct[ed] separate studies and derive[ed] pluripotent stem cells from the embryos of mice. These early cells are the first embryonic stem cells ever to be isolated” (Boston Children’s Hospital). Since this major discovery, stem cells have been providing a new hope for ancient problems and paving the way for once impossible ideas to become reality. One of the types of illnesses that these cells may be able to remedy are degenerative diseases’ that currently have no known cure. It states in the Merriam Webster Dictionary that a degenerative disease is, “A disease characterized by progressive degenerative changes in tissue” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). These diseases commonly occur due to old age, overuse of cells, or harmful behavior such as alcoholism and can result in a loss of control over one’s body. Examples of such conditions are Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and they, like many others, have yet to be fully cured. However, as shown by recent studies, in contrast to current scientific treatment methods, stem cells should be used at a higher rate because they can provide an alternative solution to diseases like Parkinson’s, and Multiple Sclerosis by mending and rebuilding the broken cells.

Stem cells have been with us since before we were born and they offer something nothing else can, cures. Stem Cells can be found in many different forms and conditions, but they are commonly just reduced to two: Adult somatic and Embryonic (eSC). They have the ability to indefinitely regenerate themselves and duplicate themselves, helping to grow and heal vital organs in the body. The key difference between these cells is their function and origin. Adult Somatic cells are cells that have already been differentiated and therefore already serve a purpose in the body, such as Mesenchymal stem cells, which make up fat, and muscle cells (Claire Cox). These cells are found in the organ or tissue in which they specialize, as seen in figure 1, making their use limited to that organ specifically. Embryonic Stem cells are similar to somatic; however have yet to become specialized. These cells are found inside of undeveloped embryos, and can become specialized as the embryo grows into a fetus. There are many other types of stem cells as well, all with a different function, so many that they are categorized in three more types:

“1.Embryonic stem cells: grown in the laboratory from cells found in the early embryo

2.Tissue stem cells: found in our bodies all our lives

3. Induced pluripotent stem cells, or ‘reprogrammed’ stem cells: similar to embryonic stem cells but made from adult specialized cells using a laboratory technique discovered in 2006” (Claire Cox).

Totipotent and pluripotent stem cells may have different applications because of their natural function within the body, however, pluripotent cells are still being researched for specific applications. Through a process called differentiation a pluripotent cell could produce totipotent cells, which have a specified purpose by nature. Not only can pluripotent cells be tested but each type can also be further analyzed to allow us to discover more applications for them in the future. 

Degenerative diseases have been troubling millions of people worldwide and sadly a majority of them are incurable. Currently, when diagnosed with one of these conditions, many patients have no way to receive help other than to deal with the symptoms as they come. Luckily, with the advances being made with stem cell research, scientists will be able to mend the issue right at the source. The issue that troubles most patients trying to treat their symptoms is how diseases such as these become autoimmune. Being autoimmune means that ones immune system is incapable of reacting to the disease well and begins to attack the bodies’ healthy cells (Julie Roddick). The immune system is tricked by the disease and mistakes healthy cells for foreign intruders and begins to degenerates from within. These conditions make it close to impossible to recover from these diseases because your body is not healing itself, but further harming itself (Julie Roddick). Stem Cell transplants will be able to reverse these effects by providing new unmarked cells to replace the infected ones. Instead of a series of prescription drugs, physical therapy sessions, and years of bills, a patient will be able to endure a few procedures and completely rid themselves of their condition. 

Stem cells would be able to better the lives of Multiple Sclerosis patients in particular by helping to cure the disease in a way that wasn’t possible before. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that is caused by an antigen entering the body and telling ones immune system to attack it. “The exact antigen — or target that the immune cells are sensitized to attack — remains unknown” (National MS Society), however, scientists are aware of the affects that the attack has. Once the antigen successfully has the immune system’s attention, it tricks “the immune system to attack myelin — the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers — as well as the nerve fibers themselves… When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing a wide variety of symptoms” (National MS Society).  Currently the amount of people who care the disease is close to 2.5 million worldwide with the number growing at a rate of about 200 new cases a week in the United States only (Ann Pietrangelo). Everyday a patient’s condition worsens with limited options without the widespread applications of stem cells. At the University of Cambridge, a clinical study is being conducted using specialized, pluripotent Mesenchymal stem cells to solve this issue. According to Neil Riordan, PhD of the Stem Cell Institute, “Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have immune regulatory properties which may stop the immune system from attacking the myelin sheath… [And] may also potentially help remyelination (re-generation of the myelin sheath) of the affected neurons” (Neil Riordan). These specific cells are perfect for rebuilding deteriorated cells in the nervous system because they can produce fat cells such as the myelin that is being destroyed by the immune system. They also have “great potential for regenerative medicine due to their unique properties of self-renewal, high plasticity, modulation of immune response and the flexibility for genetic modification” (CK Tong). Mesenchymal stem cells are specialized enough to allow a specific organ to grow and heal within the body and because of this ability, as well as their high likelihood of being accepted by the bodies immune system, they are one of the most viable options for treating those with damaged nerve fibers. Being able to reverse the destruction done by multiple sclerosis is a feat that was once a fantasy for the huge amounts of MS patients, but science has been able to make those dreams become more realistic everyday.

The amount of people worldwide who are affected by MS has done nothing but increase each year with no cure yet available on the market. However, the use of mesenchymal stem cells can craft a new hope for these victims. Instead of getting worse, and treating the awful symptoms that one has to face with this disease, MS can become an issue of the past. The cells may be able to rebuild the destroyed myelin sheath and make mobility and control in the patient’s body much easier. According to WebMD, “Medications can help ease MS attacks and possibly slow the disease. Physical therapy and other treatments help control symptoms” (WebMD) so regrowth of destroyed cells will save lives in huge ways.  A disease like MS is easiest to be cured in contrast to others because the issue has to do with a part of the body that is much more accessible to be operated on opposed to others such as the brain or eyes because it is less fragile. The treatment methods that are currently in use can only make it more difficult for the symptoms to worsen, however, stem cell transplants and insertions of healthy cells can avoid the symptoms and repair the patient indefinitely in just a short period of time. The hope this procedure brings to people worldwide is so immense that even other applications are being produced for these cells.

Stem cells can provide a cure to Parkinson’s disease that could save money and make current treatments unnecessary. Parkinson’s disease is a condition where a patient has a lack of a chemical called dopamine in their body, which results in messages not being sent to and from the brain properly (Lou Robson).  Parkinson’s differs from Multiple Sclerosis in the sense that it focuses on different parts of the body completely, making treatment options completely different. This, “disease targets and kills dopamine-producing nerve cells, or neurons, in part of the brain called the substantia nigra, although the disease does affect other nerve cells within the brain which may account for some of the other features of Parkinson’s such as problems with sleep, motivation, thinking, etc” (Lou Robson, 2014).  Even though a current cure is not available, scientists have been able to identify where the problem starts inside of a patient’s brain and which cells are being affected. In fact, scientist know enough to be able to start using stem cells to replicate and grow new dopamine producing cells in order to study the disease and find the correct cells to cure it (Lou Robson). “ In particular, Swedish, American and Canadian researchers have transplanted the developing nigral dopamine-producing neurons from human fetuses into animals and human patients with PD [Parkinson’s disease], with major improvements in some cases but only modest changes in others. These initial studies led on to bigger studies which then reported some side effects in some patients in receipt of such grafts in the form of involuntary graft induced movements” (Lou Robson). The initial stem cell transplantation studies conducted in Sweden have been successful in producing positive results but are not always absolute because everyone’s body reacts differently, however these results are nothing but supportive of the future of stem cells applications. The cells are taken from donated fetuses and repurposed to help with the saving of several lives. These tests can only lead to more refined and exact procedures that will better equip doctors and surgeons to stop symptoms of PD such as involuntary movements caused by miscommunicated brain messages and stop other diseases that raise similar issues such as MS.

With the answer already given to us with the discovery of stem cells, scientists have been able to make advancements that would never before be achievable and mend the lives of those affected by these low dopamine levels. If the cells grown inside of a lab can react in a positive way when transplanted into a patient, then the issue that is plaguing millions of people can be solved. However, the brain’s delicate nature makes this procedure much more risky. The side effects of the body rejecting the new cells can be much more detrimental than in other parts because the brain is the control center of the body. The side effects mentioned previously are always a large risk when considering this treatment. Until these cells are thoroughly studied, “there is no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, but a variety of medications provide dramatic relief from the symptoms.  Usually, affected individuals are given levodopa combined with carbidopa. Carbidopa delays the conversion of levodopa into dopamine until it reaches the brain.  Nerve cells can use levodopa to make dopamine and replenish the brain's dwindling supply” (NIH). Just like MS, Parkinson’s disease has no cure because of the nature of the illness. Effected patients experience a loss of control and ability to move. The problem is within the brain and can have drastic affects on ones body through there life.  Stem cells can create the missing pieces that the brain needs to combat Parkinson’s symptoms and treat the illness, however they can also heal more than just that as well. 

Unfortunately, the same embryos that can be used to cure the blind are being criticized. Even as volumes of scientific evidence outlining the benefits of embryonic stem cell’s is being put out into the world, many still have doubts and concerns about the use of these non-specified stem cells. The medical usage of human embryonic stem cells has received a lot of push back by certain communities and is constantly hindering due to these forces. An argument being made by religious, and anti-abortion groups is that the embryos that are being used for these treatments are living beings and therefore have the right to not be destroyed prematurely (Fox News).  Usually based of personal opinion, many people with in these communities believe that the as soon as a human sperm cell fertilizes a human egg cell then the organism can be considered alive and human, however the requirements needed to constitute life differ from person to person. Some claim that it is not until later on in an embryos growth that it can be considered alive saying, “an embryo is not a person until it is at least two weeks old, when it develops a so-called primitive streak, the first evidence of a nervous system” (Fox News). This standpoint has helped to support the extraction of embryonic stem cells because these stem cells are taken from embryos that are only a few days old, that have not developed any sign of a human structure, and embryos that have been voluntarily donated, hopefully removing the moral concerns that many have with this research. Even a week old embryo called a blastocyst is “merely a cluster of cells and not deserving of the protections afforded to others” (Fox News). With these misconceptions about stem cells, comes a restrictive barrier that has made stem cell research much more difficult for scientists in America. Former President George W. Bush, in 2001, even enacted a “restricted federal funding for research on stem cells obtained from human embryos because the technology required the destruction of human life” (Park, A.). Luckily for the sake of millions worldwide however, after his 2008 election, “President Barack Obama lifted the restriction, making it possible for federally funded scientists to use excess embryos from IVF procedures to obtain stem cells for study” (Park, A.). Thanks to the progressive thinking of Former President Obama, the United States has been recently catching up to countries in Europe that had not undergone such set backs and reemerge as a runner for the race for medical solutions.
