What I Know About Stem Cells, by Mouse
From the egg comes the human. From one cell, 200 trillion (give or take). Wow! That egg is something else. Scientists inform us that it is "totipotent", or as might otherwise be expressed: "An egg is an egg is an egg."
Some days into its development a blastocyst forms and within its core are stem cells --12 or a 100, I don't know how many-- and from these apparently undifferentiated cells comes the human and so scientists inform us these cells are "pluripotent", from 12 to a trillion. Wow! Them cells is something and scientists sure do have a way with words, and so you can take any one of those 12 cells and plop it into a heart and get a muscle...
Am I missing something here? The statement normally goes: "These cells are pluripotent and have the ability to become any cell in the body...?" Now I know I'm missing something. I see no evidence that any embryonic stem cell ever becomes any adult cell, I see no evidence that an embryonic stem cell ever becomes anything other than the next cell down the line within the course of natural development. Untold thousands of divisions occur, presumably millions of bits of information are exchanged between one cell and another, and within the context of this sequence the human is formed. Pretty impressive. It's called nature. It's complex.
Restated: There's no evidence that the embryonic stem cell ever becomes anything other than the next cell down the line; there's no evidence the embryonic stem cell can ever become a heart muscle; there's no evidence that outside of the natural course of development the embryonic stem cell can ever become anything other than another stem cell. This doesn't seem a promising area of research.
Adult stem cells are a different matter. In the first place, they exist in the adult, they're done being "the cell before the next cell"; and they presumably have a function, since they're there. And it seems that the body (I don't know how) occasionally calls on them and finds them useful. So the theory behind this kind of research is: If you can find the right cells (they are differentiated, though not visibly), massively increase their numbers, then insert them in the right place, well then, you have assisted nature, which is what medicine is all about, and you may get a good result.
Maybe. It seems daunting to me but at least there's reason within the presumption. But the reason behind the presumption in embryonic stem cell research to my mind doesn't exist. That a trillion comes from 12 does not seem reasoning to me at all --12 before a trilion therefore from 12 a heart muscle-- this seems pushing tautology a bit far. --There does seem to be some hope that the early stem cell is a chameleon and will become whatever cell it is placed next to... in which case I suppose every fetus should be a ten pound bag of stem cells...? Which is rather what you do get with stem cells in a petrii dish.
I don't know. I don't see the logic. I do see the emotion. It's just very exciting to be messing around with the creation of human life. --So sayeth Mouse.
Some days into its development a blastocyst forms and within its core are stem cells --12 or a 100, I don't know how many-- and from these apparently undifferentiated cells comes the human and so scientists inform us these cells are "pluripotent", from 12 to a trillion. Wow! Them cells is something and scientists sure do have a way with words, and so you can take any one of those 12 cells and plop it into a heart and get a muscle...
Am I missing something here? The statement normally goes: "These cells are pluripotent and have the ability to become any cell in the body...?" Now I know I'm missing something. I see no evidence that any embryonic stem cell ever becomes any adult cell, I see no evidence that an embryonic stem cell ever becomes anything other than the next cell down the line within the course of natural development. Untold thousands of divisions occur, presumably millions of bits of information are exchanged between one cell and another, and within the context of this sequence the human is formed. Pretty impressive. It's called nature. It's complex.
Restated: There's no evidence that the embryonic stem cell ever becomes anything other than the next cell down the line; there's no evidence the embryonic stem cell can ever become a heart muscle; there's no evidence that outside of the natural course of development the embryonic stem cell can ever become anything other than another stem cell. This doesn't seem a promising area of research.
Adult stem cells are a different matter. In the first place, they exist in the adult, they're done being "the cell before the next cell"; and they presumably have a function, since they're there. And it seems that the body (I don't know how) occasionally calls on them and finds them useful. So the theory behind this kind of research is: If you can find the right cells (they are differentiated, though not visibly), massively increase their numbers, then insert them in the right place, well then, you have assisted nature, which is what medicine is all about, and you may get a good result.
Maybe. It seems daunting to me but at least there's reason within the presumption. But the reason behind the presumption in embryonic stem cell research to my mind doesn't exist. That a trillion comes from 12 does not seem reasoning to me at all --12 before a trilion therefore from 12 a heart muscle-- this seems pushing tautology a bit far. --There does seem to be some hope that the early stem cell is a chameleon and will become whatever cell it is placed next to... in which case I suppose every fetus should be a ten pound bag of stem cells...? Which is rather what you do get with stem cells in a petrii dish.
I don't know. I don't see the logic. I do see the emotion. It's just very exciting to be messing around with the creation of human life. --So sayeth Mouse.
posted by mouse at 2:05 AM
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