Transcript 4.2 Stem Cells - JhaveriChemBioWiki

Stem Cells and Society
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Catalyst:
Is
it ever acceptable to take a life to
help someone? Explain your answer.
Is it acceptable to use parts from a
dead body to help someone? Explain
your answer.
Write in complete sentences!
Don’t talk during the Catalyst!
Objectives
By the end of today,
SWBAT…
Discuss ethical issues
surrounding stem cell research
Evaluate the pros and cons of
stem cell research
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Agenda
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Catalyst
What is a stem cell?
Ethical Issues/Video
New Technology
Future of Stem Cells
Exit Question
What is a stem cell??!??!?
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Key Point #1:
 Stem
cells are cells that have the potential to
become any other kind of cell.
 If we put stem cells in the liver, they will turn into
brand new liver cells.
 If we put stem cells in the heart, they will turn
into brand new heart cells.
 We have even found certain types of stem cells
can become brain cells.
Think
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If we perfected stem cell research,
what are some things that we could
use stem cells for?
How could stem cells help humans?
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If we can harvest cells that can turn into any type of
cell... There are many potential uses:
Cancer:
we can implant new “good cells” to grow and
remove the “bad cells.”
a degenerative brain disease. When old
people begin to lose memory, new brain
cells could be implanted to replace the
dying ones.
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Alzheimer’s:
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Burn victims: if someone’s skin gets damaged from a
bad burn, the dead skin can be replaced
with new skin
All this is well and good…
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But, what is this whole controversy?
Well, we have been successful getting these cells
from aborted fetuses and embryos that would have
been used for in-vitro fertilization
 In-vitro
fertilization— when a sperm and egg are
combined under a microscope and the embryo is
implanted into a host mother’s uterus.
Who said it?
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"This bill would support the taking of innocent human life in the
hope of finding medical benefits for others," _______ said
Wednesday afternoon. "It crosses a moral boundary that our
decent society needs to respect. So I vetoed it."
"These boys and girls are not spare parts," he said of the
children in the audience. "They remind us of what is lost when
embryos are destroyed in the name of research. They remind
us that we all begin our lives as a small collection of cells."
George Bush did not allow scientists to gain federal money
(money from the U.S. government) to pursue scientific research.
 Federal money supports most research science in the country.
(Drug companies fund quite a bit of research as well)
Stem Cell Video
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WHOA! A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.
(Dis)Agree?
Since aborted fetuses
would have been thrown
out anyway, it is OK to
gather stem cells from
human embryos.
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(Dis)Agree?
Stem cells research comes
from MURDER. It is never
OK to take one life to
improve another. Stem
cell research is
fundamentally wrong.
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Well… check out what we found…
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Key Point #2:
 We
have isolated stem cells from non-embryonic
cells such as bone marrow, fat, and others in
ADULTS.
 Somatic
stem cells- stem cells that are harvested from
adults
 Why
would this be such an important discovery for
researchers?
 Researchers
are looking for ways to use these cells just
like embryonic stem cells
Does this change the whole debate?
How does this change the
stem cell debate?
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Another if…
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Key Point #3:
Stem
cell therapies have worked with
moderate success.
Scientists
still need to work on issues such
as:
 Immune
Rejection
 Turning into the right type of cell
 Dividing too much (cancerous)
Short Answer Response Practice
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Review and Peer Edit
There will be a prompt and you will have 15
minutes to write a response to it.
Your peer is going to grade you on your prompt.
We will go over this after the 15 minute interval.
Prompt- three 6 sentence paragraphs
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Why are scientists so excited about the invention of stem
cells? Describe a disease that could be treated with stem
cell therapy.
Why was there such a controversy about embryonic stem
cells? Should research be done on embryonic stem cells?
Predict 20 years from now stem cell therapy is the most
common way to treat most diseases. Identify at least three
things that may occur because of this.
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(Example: Some drug companies may go out of business because
patients no longer need drugs for these diseases)
Peer Review-10 minutes
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On the person’s paper
 Circle
any comment that is well-defended (explains why
the person said what he/she said)
 Underline vocabulary that the student used that is
higher/advanced
 Box anything that urges the readers to think.
 Put
your grade out of 100 and write one sentence
about why you gave them the grade that they deserve.
Remember, you must be justified in giving them that
grade!
Exit Question
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How did the discovery of somatic
stem cells change the controversy?