IndexIntroductionConsBibliographyIntroductionI will focus primarily on the use of stem cells and their research as a method of achieving limb regrowth since it is the most researched and believed to be the most likely method to create results. This is due to studies conducted on some animals capable of limb regeneration, such as lizards and axolotls, which have been shown to always retain their pluripotent stem cells, which have the same power as our embryonic stem cells. So, for example, if the tail of a leopard gecko were cut off, pluripotent stem cells would rush to the stump to then form a regenerating blastema which would then allow all the pluripotent stem cells found there to differentiate and create the necessary cells to form tissues, bones, etc. However, through evolution humans have no need for this as instead of focusing a large amount of energy to regrow limbs naturally, which would also take considerably longer as we are much larger members of the animal kingdom, we regrow skin to cover the wound and prevent infection, so we don't need these pluripotent stem cells beyond the embryonic stage. Thanks to this fundamental discovery of the differences between how humans and some select animals cope with the loss of a limb, researchers realized that stem cells represent the best chance for limb regrowth, which is why I will talk about mainly stem cells. cells as the main method of regrowing limbs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are three main types of stem cells used in research, and so these will be the only ones I will talk about, which are: Adult/tissue stem cells, embryonic/pluripotent stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells/iPSCs. Adult stem cells come from different parts of the body, they are specific to that particular part of the body (for example, liver stem cells can regenerate liver tissue). These cannot become other specialized tissues and are limited only to their own specialized tissue. Pluripotent stem cells are the most powerful stem cells used. This is because they can be seen as a “blank slate” because they have the ability to become any specialized cell and are not limited to becoming a specialized tissue unlike adult stem cells. However, the method of obtaining these stem cells causes many problems for people similar to how abortions do. This is because traditionally embryonic cells were only obtainable by growing a human embryo into a group of cells which then contain an internal cell mass. It is the inner cell mass that contains an abundance of embryonic stem cells. However, after this internal cell mass is removed, the embryo is ultimately destroyed, which causes many moral issues due to the destruction of this embryo that could have created life. This removal process can also cause problems for the patient due to the medications needed to be taken during the process, such as ovarian hyperstimulation. This is why iPSCs, pluripotent cells derived from adult tissue, were created using recently discovered scientific technology. They are capable of becoming any type of cell similar to pluripotent stem cells. Reprogramming stem cells to then create iPSCs then involves manipulationsgenetics, which can therefore cause differentiations that are not naturally present in pluripotent stem cells. However, this method of creating iPSCs is very expensive for the process to be done correctly and safely. For this reason, embryonic stem cells are more precise and economically efficient but at the cost of having many moral problems, while iPSCs are not, but at a higher price with the possibility of creating erroneous results due to differentiations not present in pluripotent stem cells . cells naturally. Adult stem cells are the easiest to obtain and offer minimal ethical problems however, due to their lack of potency, there is not much research that can be done and it would be incredibly difficult to obtain promising results, especially on the topic of limb regrowth, and it would almost certainly take much longer to achieve these results. Due to moral issues with obtaining these stem cells, many people disagree with their use and believe that we shouldn't do it because they are not necessary to have the ability to regrow limbs, which has been proven with our adaptation through prosthetics which are improved every year. People also disagree because of morals and religious beliefs, which gives people reason to want this research stopped altogether. Throughout this entire essay, I will examine these points, discussing their validity, and ultimately whether I believe we should continue this research and regrow limbs. ForStem cell research, as mentioned above, is the main and most likely idea to be developed. achieve limb regrowth using the idea of ​​biomimicry and copying how specific animals are able to regrow their limbs through the use of pluripotent stem cells. Therefore, researchers are attempting to find a way to recreate what regenerative blastemata can do through many different experiments on many different animals with this regenerative ability to hopefully discover regeneration. But why is it important to achieve limb regrowth? This is because the number of amputees globally is increasing. There are currently approximately 2.1 million amputees in the US with at least one limb missing, or 0.63% of the population. Furthermore, by 2050 this number is expected to increase to 0.96%. This increasing number is due to the increased number of people undergoing an amputation each year, which currently stands at approximately 185,000, of which the most common amputation is below the knee, accounting for approximately 71% of all dysvascular amputations . Those who undergo these amputations in the United States will therefore incur a total lifetime healthcare cost of about $510,000 on average, or about $150,000 more than the total cost of living for someone without loss of a limb. This additional cost, which is often very sudden, can cause problems for many people as many in the United States are already struggling with healthcare costs, so with the addition of the money needed to pay for amputation care and treatment, many people can be put into large debt. The effects of an amputation are not only economic, but can also have significant psychological repercussions on people. According to research, around 30% of people who suffer from limb loss also suffer from depression, anxiety or both, compared to the entire population who suffer only around 18% overall. This research shows how losing a limb can not only put you in a state of financial trouble, but also statistically increases your chances of reaching a psychological condition such as depression andanxiety averaged 12%, which is a wide margin. So, creating a means to reduce this physiological and perhaps even one-day financial cost would be extremely beneficial. This would be done through the eventual recreation of their limb, which would likely happen through stem cells. The use of stem cells would create a limb almost identical to the original, or in the case of people suffering from congenital amputation, they could witness an entirely new limb, as they would have been born without a certain limb. While many people get prosthetics to counteract limb loss, these can often be bulky and gaudy, which, especially in the case of children, can lead to bullying, feelings of isolation and body image issues that many already experience. suffer and it already affects girls a lot, this kind of thing in many cases can lead children to abandon their current schools and develop psychological problems. During an interview with three different female amputees, the interview team asked them several questions, for example about the problems they faced growing up, to which 2 of them responded that they had been targeted and how their childhood experiences caused them much distress and difficult experiences which caused them emotional problems. However, the other responded about how shocked people were because of her lack of depression or crying, but said that the only problem for her was that she "just wanted to get rid of the pain." This led me to think about how amputees not only suffer psychological damage but also often experience persistent pain throughout their lives. The prime example of this would be stump pain. This is pain that originates in the remaining part of the limb. It can be created by a multitude of conditions related to the surgery undertaken or it can be caused by conditions that affected before the amputation. This mainly only occurs on amputees who had limbs and therefore does not affect people with congenital amputations due to this naturally caused lack of a limb. But those who undergo any type of surgery to achieve amputation would run the risk of suffering from it, as this pain in the limb can be caused by a multitude of things including: surgical trauma, which is where it was located the bone of the residual limb not adequately cut, neuromas, which are a collection of nerve endings that are very sensitive, heterotrophic bone, which occurs when an excess of bone forms around the lower part of the amputated limb and finally entrapment of the nerve, which is where there are sensitive nerves concentrated in the scar tissue. Due to any of these causes, a person's life can be made miserable due to constant pain and suffering. So, because of this, for many, I believe the ability to regrow a lost limb would be a dream come true for them as it would prevent this varnish from forming or remaining and give them the added benefit of fitting in more with society. and reduce the level of bullying, which would decrease depression, anxiety and other psychological problems that may have been caused by this process. So far, stem cells have not been able to achieve regrowth in humans, however, that does not mean that stem cell research has not made great progress far. Currently, stem cells are mostly only used to treat hematologic malignancies, which are “cancers that start in cells of blood-forming tissues (for example, bone marrow) or in cells of the immune system.” So while they are helpful in achieving this goal, it is still essentialthat cancer is discovered early and not allowed to reach a later stage of development. A few years ago, the Department of Defense entered the field of regenerative medicine by receiving a whopping total of about $265 million, including $80 million in public and private funds and about $100 million in NIH grants held by researchers . With all this funding the goal was to use embryonic stem cells to achieve “the regrowth of severed fingers, the reconstruction of shattered bones, the reconstruction of mutilated faces and the covering of burn victims with genetically compatible skin”. This shows how much funding has been spent on these specific uses of stem cell research, yet in recent years they have still not fully achieved any of their main goals despite it being estimated that it would only take up to 5 years to discover a mean for this level of regrowth. However, it was through this research that we were able to find a means to help treat tumors, especially in the case of hematological malignancies for which this research has been invaluable. This, in my opinion, demonstrates the complexity of stem cell research and how it will take longer to get to where we aim to be, but we are still making huge strides towards improvement. negative aspects of the use of stem cells, mainly focusing on the ethical issues and giving examples of how these have affected people, but I also want to write down the religious issues with it and how it goes against the beliefs of some groups. Then I want to talk about the alternatives and what we are currently doing to counteract limb loss, focusing mainly on the different prosthetics and why each should be used. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Although there are benefits to regrowing limbs, many people disagree with the methods of achieving it. This can be due to a multitude of reasons, including religion and morality, and many people believe that these should cause stem cell research to end altogether. I believe the main reason people oppose stem cell research is due to the method of harvesting embryonic stem cells. The reason for this is that to harvest embryonic stem cells, the human embryo, which could have become a new life, will ultimately be destroyed. For this reason, both some religious people and people with moral beliefs similar to that of abortion are against stem cell research. Catholic Christians and people with similar morals believe that human life begins at conception, which makes research tantamount to murder due to the death of embryos. This statement is further supported by the late Pope John Paul II who stated in his 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life: “Human embryos obtained in vitro are human beings and are subjects with rights; their dignity and right to life must be respected from the first moment of their existence". BibliographyAmericans for care. What are the different types of stem cells? [online] Available at: https://americansforcures.org/stem-cells/what-are-the-different-kinds-of-stem-cells/Murnaghan I, (8 November 2019), new harvesting techniques [ online] Explore Stem Cells Available at: http://www.explorestemcells.co.uk/newharvestingtechniques.htmlMITK12Videos, (2015). Why can we regrow a liver (but not a limb)? [Youtube] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erMCADOJcHkChong, I.:/