stem cells

• Benefits of stem cells

  -can treat a wide variety of diseases from diabetes and paralysis

  -organs developed from patient's own stem cell lowers risk of organ rejection/wait for organ donation

  -adult stem cells succesfully used in many treatments
• risks/issues of stem cell usage

  -stem cells cultured in labs could become infected with virus and could be transmitted to patient

  -risk of cultured stem cells having mutations that can develop them into cancer cells

  -low number of stem cell donors
• social & ethical issues

  social

  -embryonic stem cells can be collected before birth or after birth and stored by clinic (can be EXPENSIVE)

  ethical

  -involves destruction of human embryos (killing life)
• cells undergo differentiation to become specialised

  *stem cells can be found in embryos/ bone marrow(adult stem cell) or plant meristems (roots & shoots of plant)