Stem cells may open the door to discoveries about many diseases and may allow treatments for diseases to be developed. However many ethical issues surround stem cell research which need to be addressed by scientists, governments, etc.
a. Explain why scientists would want to make induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells instead of using embryonic stem (ES) cells that already exist. Be sure to address the following in your answer.
i. What ethical issues would be resolved by using iPS cells rather than ES cells?
ii. Explain how making iPS cells that are patient-specific stem cells could be beneficial for therapeutic use.
iii. Explain how iPS cells could be used to help screen for or develop drugs.
To understand why scientists might want to make induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells instead of using existing embryonic stem (ES) cells, let's address the ethical issues that would be resolved by using iPS cells, and the benefits of making patient-specific iPS cells for therapeutic use and drug development.
i. Ethical issues resolved by using iPS cells instead of ES cells:
One of the main ethical concerns surrounding stem cell research involves the destruction of embryos to obtain embryonic stem cells. This raises moral objections from those who consider embryos to have the same moral status as humans. By using iPS cells, scientists can avoid this controversy because iPS cells are derived from adult cells and do not require the destruction of embryos.
ii. Benefits of making patient-specific iPS cells for therapeutic use:
iPS cells can be created by reprogramming adult cells to a pluripotent state, meaning they can differentiate into any cell type in the body. This allows scientists to generate patient-specific iPS cells, which have the same genetic makeup as the person they are derived from. This is important because patient-specific cells are less likely to be rejected by the patient's immune system compared to using cells from another person, reducing the need for immune-suppressing drugs. Patient-specific iPS cells hold great potential for personalized regenerative medicine, where therapies can be tailored to individual patients.
iii. Using iPS cells for drug screening and development:
iPS cells can also be used to help screen for and develop drugs. By reprogramming cells from patients with specific diseases into iPS cells, scientists can generate disease-specific cell models. These cells can be used to study the disease mechanisms and test potential drugs in a personalized manner. This approach not only allows for more accurate testing of drug efficacy and safety, but also reduces the need for animal models and has the potential to accelerate drug discovery and development.
In summary, using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) instead of embryonic stem cells (ES cells) helps resolve ethical concerns associated with embryo destruction. The ability to generate patient-specific iPS cells offers therapeutic benefits by reducing the risk of immune rejection. Additionally, iPS cells can be utilized for disease modeling and drug screening, enabling personalized approaches to medicine and accelerating the development of new treatments.