2.6B: Understand the Advantages and Disadvantages of using Stem Cells in Medicine

STEM CELLS: Unspecialised cells that has two key qualities:

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• Self-renewal: capable of continuous division and replication
• Potency: capacity to differentiate into specialised cell type

STEM CELLS IN MEDICINE

Picture showing the use of Stem Cell Therapy to form Tissue

EXPLANATION: Cell types that are not capable of self-renewal are non-stem cells (e.g tissues) As these tissues cannot be regenerated or replaced, stem cells are a viable therapeutic option when these tissues are damaged

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ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES:

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGE
Medical benefits in therapeutic cloning to heal diseases and chronic illnesses	Ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells involving the destruction of human embryos
Potential in discovering treatments and cures for diseases such as Parkinson's disease and cancer	Uncertainties regarding long-term effects
Ability to test potential drugs and medicine without the use of animals or human simulation	Rejection by patient's body as certain stem cells are obtained from embryos instead of their own cells
Reduced risk of rejection as patient's own cells can be used	Difficulty in controlling differentiation of pre-specialised cells into desired cell