The Evolution Of Stem Cell Research - 991 Words

HISTORY: The history of stem cell research starts with the discovery of the cell in the mid 1800s (1). With this discovery, scientists soon discovered that some cells can specialize and become other cells – these cells that can specialize are called stem cells. The phrase stem cell was first used in a scientific fiction novel by German biologist Ernst Haeckel; he used the phrase to describe the fertilized egg that will eventually grow to become an organism. The next notable usage of the phrase would be in 1886 when the scientist William Sedgwick used the term to describe the parts in plants that can grow and regenerate if cut off – these parts are now definitely known to be formed of stem cells. In 1909, a Russian theorizes that blood stem†¦show more content†¦Robert Good of the University of Minnesota completed a bone marrow transplant between two non twin siblings. IN 1981, two scientists conducted separate studies on the embryos of mice and isolated embryonic stem ce lls. This was the first time anything of the sort had been done. In 1997, two Canadians discovered that leukemia comes from the stem cells that make our blood cells, supporting the idea that many cancers come from stem cells that are not working properly (2). In the last decade and half, the federal government has begun funding stem cell research, which greatly accelerated knowledge about this field. Recently, parents have started to store some of their newborn children’s embryonic stem cells in stem cell banks that can be used later on in life to regenerate organs and tissues if necessary. HOW AND WHY THEY WORK: Stem cells differentiate into the various other types of cells that they can differentiate into through cytoplasmic signal molecules that control what parts of the DNA are used to code for proteins. These proteins are what the cell uses in order to determine its functions; different cytoplasmic determinants are found in epithelial cells as opposed to nervous cells. These cytoplasmic determinants can be synthesized within the stem cell if the cell receives a signal from outside saying that this stem cell needs to become, for example, a neuron. The cell will then synthesize the cytoplasmic determinants that are appropriate for neurons