Preview

Stem Cells: Are They the Cure for Diabetes?

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1995 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Stem Cells: Are They the Cure for Diabetes?
Stem Cells: Are They the Cure for Diabetes?

Stem Cells: Are They the Cure for Diabetes? Diabetes is a disease that affects 25.8 million people in the United States alone, not to mention the 7.0 million people who are undiagnosed and the staggering 79 million people who are pre-diabetic (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). That number alone should send out an alarm that a cure is needed. Not just a treatment, but a real cure that will free sufferers from the strict diets, oral medications and insulin injections, as well as prevent the serious complications of the disease that is now taking our country by storm. With this many people affected, or potentially affected, our country’s healthcare resources will be crippled by the long term complications diabetes causes. A possible, albeit controversial, cure for diabetes could come from stem cell research. Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the glucose in the blood is elevated. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1, or insulin dependent diabetes, and type 2, non-insulin dependent diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body perceives its own cells as foreign invaders and attacks them. The islet cells of the pancreas, which produce and secrete insulin, are destroyed. The body needs insulin to supply the cells with energy and since insulin can no longer get into the cell, glucose accumulates in the blood. The only treatment for this is insulin injections or the use of an insulin pump. However, it is important to note that this is not a cure. Insulin brings with it its own set of problems such as injecting too much or not enough insulin, injecting too far in advance of a meal, and the sheer inconvenience of carrying supplies around and going into unclean bathrooms to inject. This type of diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood and happens quite suddenly. Type 2 diabetes is more of a gradual onset,



References: A new era: Expanded embryonic stem cell lines broaden horizons. (2009, December 8). Houston Chronicle. Retrieved from: http://www.chron.com/opinion/editorials/article/A- new-era-Expanded-embryonic-stem-cell-lines-1621130.php Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011, May 23). 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet. Retrieved April 20, 2013, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/estimates11.htm National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013, January 16). Stem cells and diabetes. Retrieved April 20, 2013, from Stem Cell Information: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/pages/chapter7.aspx National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2012, June 7). What are adult stem cells? Retrieved April 20, 2013, from Stem Cell Information: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics4.aspx REMOVING BARRIERS TO RESPONSIBLE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN STEM CELLS. (2009, March 9). Retrieved April 20, 2013, from The White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/removing-barriers-responsible-scientific- research-involving-human-stem-cells Scheiner, Gary. (2011). Think like a pancreas. New York, NY: Marlowe & Company. What are stem cells? (2013). Retrieved April 20, 2013, from Diabetes Research Institute Foundation: http://www.diabetesresearch.org/Stem-Cells-FAQ What is stem cell research? (2013, January 5). Retrieved April 20, 2013, from Joslin Diabetes Center: http://www.joslin.org/about/stem_cell_research.htm

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Type II Diabetes Mellitus is an adult-onset diabetes that affects 90% of the diabetes patients. It is when the body does not recognize the insulin being produced by the pancreas, or not enough is produced. Insulin is a hormone that causes different cells to take up glucose for energy. Resistance to insulin causes the build up of glucose in the blood, which causes improper functions of cells and blood circulation, damage to nerves and blood vessels. The prevalence of type II diabetes is highest in African Americans among ethnic and racial groups. African American type II diabetic populations have tripled in 1993 when compared to 1963.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Type 2 Diabetes

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages

    According to statistical records, an approximation of 18.2 million children and adults suffer from diabetes in the United States. This is equal to 6.3 percent of America’s population. Out of this data, 13 million people underwent diagnosis while 5.2 million represents the number of people presumed to have the disease unknowingly. The annual rate of diagnosis of new cases of type 2 diabetes in America remains at 798,000 (Narayan et al, 2006).…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Due to recent discoveries, stem cell research will have many future medical possibilities. A recent stem cell breakthrough shows that cloning human organs or body parts to treat patients with injured organs or limb deficiencies could be possible. “The cloning techniques can also be used to grow organs for patients with a failing liver or kidney.” Because the newly cloned organ will be genetically identical to the one being replaced, rather than a donated one, the chances of it being rejected will be very low. Ultimately, this opens up many possibilities of curing patients with injuries, amputations, and failing organs. Stem cell research also reveals the ability to cure diseases. “Researcher Dieter Egli said their work was inspired by the thought of being able to take stem cells from embryos and use them to treat and even cure diseases. Worn out hearts could be patched up, aged brains could be rejuvenated and diabetics could be freed from the need to take insulin, all thanks to stem cells.” Stem cell researchers believe it is possible to cure diseases by replacing old organs with newly cloned ones. This will impact future medical possibilities because newer treatments will be out there and the ability to cure diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer may be possible. Furthermore, federal funding for stem cell research has been limited although by the popularity of its breakthroughs; stem cell research may receive federal funding in the near future. This will broaden stem cell research and allow scientists a greater chance of discovering new medical possibilities in the near…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stem Cell Research

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages

    National Institutes of Health resource for stem cell research. (2009, 04 28). Stem cell basics. Retrieved from http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics1.asp…

    • 401 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hcs 245 Week 2

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Diabetes is a group of diseases that is caused by high levels of blood glucose and is caused by defects in insulin production. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. There are a few different types of Diabetes, There is type 1, which used to be called juvenile diabetes and is caused by the body’s immune system attacking and destroying its own insulin producing beta cells in the pancreas. Type 1 accounts for about five percent while type 2 accounts for around ninety to ninety five percent of all diagnosed cases (Services, 2011). Type 2 will occur when the body cannot use the insulin produced effectively or does not produce enough insulin and usually happens in adults over the age of forty but is becoming more common for younger age groups.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    of type 1 diabetes sufferers in the U.S. Also known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is the most critical form of diabetes. Before it eventually kills those who suffer from it, type 1 diabetes takes a serious toll on the body. Among other things,…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Diabetes is a major health concern in the United Stated affecting 29.1 millions or about 9.3% of the population with new diagnosis of 1.7 millions in 2012 (ADA, 2014). According to ADA, there are about 8.1 millions undiagnosed diabetic patients in the US. With this figure, it is important that we have a proper tool to diagnose diabetes accurately. This will help to devise a proper intervention if the disease is diagnosed easily and accurately.…

    • 785 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Kirchstein, Ruth. "Stem Cells: Scientific Progress and Future Research Directions." Medicine, Health, and Bioethics: Essential Primary Sources. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 72-75. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 1 July 2012.…

    • 2176 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Stem Cell Research

    • 20373 Words
    • 82 Pages

    New treatment possibilities with revolutionary ideas about those treatments are expected soon from researchers. The key to these promises of revolutionary new treatments is the human stem cell. With this key, biological mysteries that have been longstanding could be solved. Diseases could be eliminated and human suffering could end.…

    • 20373 Words
    • 82 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    b. Different types: There are 2 main types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin dependent or juvenile diabetes, is when the pancreas can 't make insulin. The body still gets glucose from the food but glucose can 't get into the cells where it is needed. Type 2 diabetes is where the pancreas still makes insulin, but there is not enough of it working properly in the body. Both of these types cause glucose to remain in the blood causing blood sugar levels get high.…

    • 1028 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    research, The National institutes of Health resource for stem cell. Stem Cell Information. 13 September 2010. 12 October 2010 .…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Type 2 diabetes is known as non-insulin dependent diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, and occurs when the body stops recognizing the insulin secreted by the pancreas. When there isn't enough insulin or the insulin is not used as it should be, sugar can't get into the body's cells. When sugar builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, the body's cells are not able to function properly. Gestational diabetes is another form of type 2 diabetes with conditions characterized by high blood sugar levels which are first recognized during the later stages of pregnancy.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Imagine your life at the age of 32. It is as perfect as you could have ever imagined it. You are married with three beautiful children; two girls and a boy. Your oldest daughter is complaining of stumbling and clumsiness, so you take her to the doctor. You are devastated to learn that she, along with your other two children, have a neurological disorder called Batten Disease. This is a rare but always fatal disease. You are now going to have to go through what no parent ever wants to go through. You will have to watch your children wilt away like flowers. They will go blind, lose all motor skills, suffer from dementia and die a horrific, prolonged death. You will have to bury not only one, but all three of your children. This is a story of the Pinder family, whose children I went to school with. The oldest two children, both girls, are now deceased, and the youngest, a boy, is progressively getting worse. Unfortunately there is no cure for this disease on the market yet. The FDA has recently approved a clinical trial to use brain stem cells of fetal tissue to treat this disease; however the funding for stem cell research is either non-existent, or tied up in the court systems due to ethical and moral issues (Stem-Cell Funding’s). Even with the release of the funds for embryonic stem cell research, it would be too late to treat the last Pinder child. After seeing this family go through the loss of two children, and waiting in emotional turmoil for the death of their last child, I am for the study and research of embryonic stem cells. I hope that it could one day save families from the pain the Pinder’s are currently in.…

    • 2288 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Great Stem Cell Debate

    • 2373 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Even though the harvesting of stem cells from embryos is considered murder by pro-lifers, researchers strongly support stem cell research because of the potential cures for fatal diseases and the decrease in deaths from lack of donor organs. Let us, however; start at the beginning by explaining what stem cells are. The photo below shows embryonic stem cells as pictured through a microscope viewfinder in a laboratory.…

    • 2373 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Stem Cells offer new potentials for treatment of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.…

    • 486 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays