Stem cells for treatments

[Aki]

I'm think it's time to have a debate on this controversial question: Should humans use stem cells for treaments?
Please feel free to comment

I think this should be allowed. Many people believe that it is wrong to take somebody's(embryo's) life without their consent and that it is wrong to kill a living being. Well look at what we eat? We eat beef, pork, fish, chicken. Before we kill these animals, we don't ask them for permission. No, we just kill them, because we need the food to live, just like some sick patients need the stem cells to live. Put it this way, if your grand-mother had liver cancer, and needs a transplant. The only way to get a liver transplant would be through stem cells. Of course you want her to be cured! We don't want to lose someone we love. Sefishly speaking, those embryos wouldn't even know what's going, they can't feel the pain.

[pgrmdave]

There is already a topic on this under philosophy

[Tormod]

Would it be possible to turn this thread here into a medical related topic - as to how stem cells can be used, how they are being studied etc? Then we can discuss the philosophical implications in the other thread.

[Aki]

Yeah, good point Tormod

[TINNY]

I want to ask a simple question. Where do they get the embryos? the sperm bank? what about the ovum?

[pgrmdave]

How developed do the embryos have to be to harvest them? Is their nervous system already intact and active?

[Aki]

Tinny to answer your question, this is what I found at wikipedia

Embryonic stem cells can be obtained from a cloned embryo, created by fusing a denucleated egg cell with a patient's cell. The embryo produced is allowed to grow to the size of a few tens of cells, and stem cells are then extracted.

I know it not a very good answer, but I'm really tired right now...it's bed time. I'll look for more information tomorrow

Dave, that's a good question, and I'm not too sure of the answer. But I know that the embryo only contain a few tens of cells and that they are less developed than the smallest insect.

[TINNY]

Originally Posted by Aki

Embryonic stem cells can be obtained from a cloned embryo, created by fusing a denucleated egg cell with a patient's cell. The embryo produced is allowed to grow to the size of a few tens of cells, and stem cells are then extracted.

that does not answer my question. i am asking how to get the zigot,not the embryo

[Aki]

Tinny,
They get people to donate their sperms and ovum, well they actually have to pay those people. They freeze the sperms and ovum, so that they can fertilize them later.

[TINNY]

they probably only gather a few different varieties from different people. then they just clone those embryos and therefore don't need more donations. am i right?