How can stem cells help
society?

The benefits of stem cell research and development

The question of how can stem cells help society is best answered by looking at the donors and the patients individually and assessing the benefits to either party in the case of a stem cell transplant and, in particular, using the blood collected from umbilical cords. On the whole, though, stem cells and the resultant stem cell research that has been undertaken recently will benefit society greatly. Patients who suffer from many life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, anemia and various different forms of cancer already do benefit from stem cells. In fact each and every one of us benefit from stem cells but patients with these diseases already benefit from stem cell transplants.

The stem cell is an incredible piece of biology that sounds more sci-fi than scientific. Stem cells are present in all of us from the day we are born, and are even present in embryos. They grow to form other cells and vital organs throughout our body. In the case of skin and other regenerating organs and tissue, stem cells act to fix any damage that has been done to these organs. It was recently believed that adult stem cells were only present in bones and skin, hence the need for bone marrow transplants but recently it has been discovered that they are certainly present in the brain. Unfortunately, however, they are impossible to extract from the brain because they are surrounded by millions of other cells that cannot be disturbed.

Patients who are suffering from certain diseases either do not have enough stem cells present where required or the ones that are present are not able to do enough work. In very young children stem cells are abundant and also show excellent signs of elasticity but as a person grows and ages the stem cells lose plasticity and rigidly become other cells or organs. This makes them redundant as stem cells. The only place that doctors can efficiently remove stem cells from adults is the bone marrow, hence the reliance on bone marrow transplants. Unfortunately, there simply aren't enough bone marrow donors to help cure all patients who require treatment. Scientists believe they have found the answer, though, in the shape of embryos and less controversially umbilical cord blood.

The stem cells found in umbilical cord blood are of the most primitive available. This means that they are able to form into virtually any cell, tissue or organ required with careful transfusion. For both patients (mother and baby) the act of removing the stem cells from the umbilical cord is simple and unobtrusive. It is removed from the umbilical cord once it has been clamped and cut so there is no pain, discomfort or involvement for either mother or baby. Usually the umbilical cord is simply discarded but by donating the blood the physician responsible will either drain the cord or use a syringe to draw the blood off.

Stem cell research is not a new phenomenon and it certainly doesn't look set to slow. While there is a large amount of controversy surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells, blood cord stem cells are easily extracted and can be stored for a long period of time. This benefits donors and patients alike giving the medical world a viable and sustainable source of stem cells.

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