This is a short essay into what is the most significant discovery in biomedical sciences from the last 50 years. I chose stem cell therapy and explained why I believed this to be a significant development.
“In your opinion, what is the most significant discovery in biomedical sciences from the last 50
years?”
Stem cell therapy is the utilization of stem cells in order to treat
injury or disease within the body. The concept of stem cells was
introduced in 1981. Since, stem cells have proven to
revolutionise medicine (COGHLAN, 2019). In my opinion, stem
cell therapy is the by far the most significant development in
biomedical science from the last 50 years. I have come to this
conclusion through the highly significant impact that it has had
in treating diseases that have past been thought to be
untreatable prior to stem cell discovery. Stem cells can renew
themselves meaning that they can produce more stem cells or
form into any other cell type, e.g. a skin stem cell can form all
the stem cells of the skin, and due to this, it has been discovered
that stem cells can be used in order to treat injuries and
alignment's within the body. (Anderson, 2019)
An example of the significance of stem cell therapy is the use of embryonic stemFigcells
1. Aninimage
the treatment
showing of
the
genetic diseases related to the immune system, cancers, etc and pluripotent property of a stem
conditions such as type 1 diabetes. This can be achieved due to embryonic cell. (South China Morning Post,
stem cells being pluripotent meaning that they can differentiate into 2019)
different cells in the body (ScienceDaily, 2019). This has allowed doctors
to use stem cells in order to decrease the number of individuals living with
life changing diseases to decrease drastically as they have allowed doctors to pinpoint where mutations have
occurred within DNA to create birth defects (The Stem Cellar, 2019). This has benefitted the medical industry
financially and improved the well-being of individuals on a grand scale. Furthermore, the discovery of stem
cells and their benefits was a phenomenon that gained grand interest globally. Due to this interest, many job
opportunities in research and in the application of stem cell therapy arose. This shows the noteworthy impact
in the scientific community that this discovery produced. (Abdi et al., 2008)
There are different types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are
obtained from failed fertility treatments that would otherwise be waste products. They are then used to
research human diseases and development within the laboratory (Explorestemcells.co.uk, 2019). This research
is essential in learning about human diseases and permits us to have the opportunity to create cures for
diseases and understand our development in the embryo further. This is crucial for future development in the
biomedical field.
Additionally, stem cells can be directly used in the treatment of cancer. They can be used to successfully treat
bone marrow cancer in bone marrow transplants (Slavin et al., 1998). Furthermore, we can use cells derived
from stem cells in order to produce more effective drugs. This is due to the invaluable research of human
induced pluripotent stem cells. Figure 1 shows the possibilities that a pluripotent stem cell can produce. The
cells can be differentiated into different cell types in the body, allowing a source of cells that can be used in
drug trials or new therapy trials. This has transformed new drug production. (University of Cambridge, 2019).
In conclusion, I believe that I have produced a strong case to show that stem cell therapy is in fact the most
invaluable and significant development made in biomedical science in the last 50 years. Due to the pluripotent
properties of stem cells, stem cells have proven to be essential in the development of more effective drugs and
has reformed the treatment of regenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, diabetes and has been
essential in researching ad treating cancer. It has propelled the biomedical industry into a great deal of
opportunities that have not been seen before. The future possibilities created by the discovery of stem cells
are inevitable.
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