stem cells

• Embryonic stem cells can be found from early human embryos (spares ones taken from fertility clinics). They can differentiate into any type of specialised cell in body.

  ADVANTAGES:

  • Treat wide range of disease and differentiate into any kind of specialised cell.
  • Usually no donor needed, as taken from clinic.
  • Grow whole organ

  DISADVANTAGES:

  • It's a new course of treatment so still undergoing research, unclear if it can do all the they thought it could.
  • Risk of transferring viral infection to patient.
  • Ethical issues as destroying embryos along with potential human lives
• Adult stem cells can be found in the bone marrow and can differentiate and any type of blood cell.

  ADVANTAGES:

  • Treat diseases like leukaemia.
  • Safe to use as a treatment and donor recovery time is quick.
  • Fewer ethical issues as adults able to consent to removal and use of their stem cells.

  DISADVANTAGES:

  • Requires a donor= long wait time.
  • Can only differentiate into certain specialised cells, treating fewer diseases.
• Therapeutic cloning:

  • Cells from patient used to clone early embryos of theirs
  • Embryo stem cells can be used for medical treatment and growing new organs.
  • These stem cells have same genes as patient so less likely to be rejected.
• Plant meristem, found in meristem regions of roots and shoots of plants. Can differentiate into all cell types and can use to clone whole plant.

  ADVANTAGES:

  • Desirable traits like disease resistance, can be cloned producing large number of identical plants.
  • Fast and low cost for large amount of plants.
  • Able to clone rare species, preventing extinction.

  DISADVANTAGES:

  • Cloned plants are genetically identical so whole crop at risk of being destroyed by single disease or genetic defect.