What Takes Place In Stem Cell Research Facilities

By Martha Evans


Scientists are working day and night to come up with new technology and methods that will treat various diseases. That is why there are several Stem Cell Research Facilities all over the world. These programs have been started to study how the body units can be manipulated to cure certain diseases. These units are the raw materials of the body. Therefore, they can be manipulated in the laboratory under the right conditions to divide into more units can be used in treating diseases. If you have never heard about these units or their functions, below are several things you should find out.

Researchers now know that the body has three vital units. The three units are embryonic components, adult as well as the reprogrammed units. The reprogrammed units are also referred to as induced pluripotent cells. Many scientists across the globe are immensely studying these critical components. These scientists hope to find new ways to treat congenital disabilities and cancer.

Usually, embryonic units are obtained from the embryo development stages. The ones that are used must come from early fertilization stages. This means that these units must begin the fertilization process for them to be useful. The units are essential in treating issues associated with fertility. Therefore, people with fertility problems can be assisted. However, the units used for this treatment are few. So many other units are therefore useless and are discarded.

Another important thing you should know about these research centers is that scientists are also using adult cells. These units have been successful as well. They are not only found in adults or children but also in fetuses that are still developing. These units are more specialized are come from the embryonic units. They can make some units such as those of the immune system or muscles.

The adult units can also be reprogrammed in the research centers to become iPS or induced units. They are reprogrammed so that they can develop similar characteristics to the embryonic units. The process is done using viruses that expose the units to cancer. These units have never been used on patients to date.

These research facilities get financial support from the federal government. The centers that do not use federal funds are very few. The government, therefore, allocates funds to these centers. The management uses the funds to buy all necessary equipment such as lab tools. Therefore, scientists have an excellent chance to work in an environment that has everything they want for their experiments.

Some of the units that have been discovered and manipulated in the centers have been used to treat diseases. Doctors have performed transplants that have been successful. The select units are used to replace units that have been damaged by chemotherapy or diseases. The units also help in fighting blood-related diseases like leukemia and lymphoma.

Researchers usually face lots of challenges during their studies. One of the main difficulties includes the differentiation of the manipulated units. These units may fail to yield the desired results making them useless. The experts have, however, not lost hope and are still doing more experiments.




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