Ch 3

Question 1

differentiation

Answer 1

process of cell specialization

Question 2

stem cell

Answer 2

single cell that can replicate itself or differentiate into many cell types

Question 3

adult stem cells

Answer 3

discrete populations of these generate replacements for cells that are lost through normal wear and tear, injury, or disease

Question 4

multipotent stem cell

Answer 4

potential to make multiple cell types

Question 5

pluripotent stem cells

Answer 5

similar to multipotent stem cells by can make all or almost all cell types

Question 6

committed stem cell

Answer 6

devoted to making one or a small number of cell types (sometimes called adult stem cells)

Question 7

progenitor cell

Answer 7

determined to make only one cell type; limited self renewal

Question 8

differentiated cells

Answer 8

mature cell type

Question 9

if adult stem cells can regenerate tissue, why do we need to use embryonic stem (ES) cells?

Answer 9

adult stem cells are derived from specific tissues, need a different type of stem cell for each tissue, rare and difficult to find, and do not grow well outside the body

Question 10

longstanding clinical application of adult stem cells

Answer 10

bone marrow transplant

Question 11

legislation has been proposed to ban what?

Answer 11

all stem cell research – including embryonic AND adult stem cells - would ban research into bone marrow transplants

Question 12

advantages of embryonic stem cells (ESC)

Answer 12

1) grow easily and rapidly in culture (dish), so can make unlimited numbers of cells needed for stem cell replacement therapies 2) can differentiate into any tissue of the body (pluripotent) 3) can be used to treat any degenerative disease

Question 13

TRUE or FALSE: human embryonic stem cells are derived from aborted fetuses

Answer 13

FALSE

Question 14

where are ESCs derived from?

Answer 14

exclusively from excess blastocysts discarded from IVF clinics - donated for research by the parents

Question 15

since ESCs are removed from an embryo, they aren’t capable of becoming what?

Answer 15

a fetus

Question 16

since ESCs are more “youthful” tissue, they reduce the demand for what?

Answer 16

fetal tissue

Question 17

when a couple decides to undergo IVF, they may sign a what? what happens if they don’t?

Answer 17

consent to freeze form; if they don’t, then all extra embryos are discarded

Question 18

what happens to embryos belonging to parents?

Answer 18

they may decide to discard or donate to research during or after the process

Question 19

getting stem cell therapy into the clinic (challenges)

Answer 19

generate sufficient quantities of the desired cell type, evading immune rejection, survive in the patient after transplant, integrate into the surrounding tissue after transplant, function approximately for the duration of the patient’s life, avoid harming the patient

Question 20

embryonic stem cells can, in principle, provide what?

Answer 20

an unlimited source of cells to replenish any degenerating tissue

Question 21

pathway of stem cells

Answer 21

embryonic stem cells –> lineage-specific stem cells –> different cell (heart cell) precursor –> transplantation therapy

Question 22

cell–cell communication

Answer 22

induction + competence

Question 23

induction

Answer 23

cells emit a signal

Question 24

competence

Answer 24

other cells are able to receive and interpret the signal

Question 25

making the desired cell type involved what?

Answer 25

adding the right molecules of cellular communication to the cell culture medium

Question 26

approaches to evade immune rejection

Answer 26

with a bank of ESCs from different individuals we can "match" the patient as closely as possible, encapsulate the cells in tiny capsules that allow the cells to implant into the tissue and secrete what the body needs without risk of being recognized as "non-self", making ESCs from the patient's own cells through somatic cell nuclear transfer (therapeutic cloning), making "induced Plluripotent Stem Cells" (iPSCs) from the patient's own cells

Question 27

when making a tissue from ESCs one must ensure what before introducing into a patient?

Answer 27

100% of ESCs are gone

Question 28

solutions to ESCs growing fast and forming tumors

Answer 28

1) develop differentiation protocols that are so effective that no ESCs remain, and 2) develop drugs that can specifically kill ESCs so that they can be completely removed from the differentiated tissue

Question 29

major medical research advances from work with human ESCs

Answer 29

researching early human development, researching "hard to derive" tissues, drug design tested in target tissue, researching complex human genetic diseases, researching how to make tissues, researching how to make them safely

Question 30

since ESCs divide an unlimited number of times and rapidly, one can make enough for what?

Answer 30

therapy

Question 31

the derivation and use of ESCs doesn't involve

Answer 31

abortion, creating embryos with the intention of destroying them for research, or human cloning

Question 32

misconception of abortion involved in ESCs

Answer 32

the advent of ESCs has diminished the demand for fetal stem cells because they are derived from a considerably earlier stage of development, are more easily derived, and have more potential

Question 33

misconception of creating embryos with the intention of destroying them for research

Answer 33

all ESCs available for use in federally funded research are derived from embryos created fro assisted reproductive technologies only and destined for destruction

Question 34

there are more than enough discarded IVF embryos to support human ESC research, meaning that...

Answer 34

there is no NEED to create embryos for research

Question 35

legitimate concerns (not based on misconception)

Answer 35

objections to any manipulation of a human embryo, which includes ART, accelerating the death of a human embryo even if the only alternatives are indefinite freezing or discarding, discarding the human embryo is more dignified death than using a human embryo for research, knowledge will lead to abuse -- slippery slope argument

Question 36

when do Catholics and Hindus believe that a human embryo is an individual?

Answer 36

zygote

Question 37

counter argument to legitimate concern - wrestling value from tragedy

Answer 37

IVF is consistent w/modern medical ethics and is now common practice, far more human embryos are discarded than would be necessary for research, the decision to create and destroy these embryos was made for reasons unrelated to research, discarding an embryo is LESS dignified than using it for research, parents have the right to donate their deceased child's tissue, reduces the use of aborted fetuses for stem cell research

Question 38

where could the slippery slope lead?

Answer 38

coercion or payment of women for their eggs, creation of embryos specifically for research, temptation for human cloning

Question 39

therapeutic cloning

Answer 39

cloned individuals are sacrificed at the blastocyst stage to make ESCs identical to a patient

Question 40

what is therapeutic cloning used for?

Answer 40

to overcome immune rejection and to make ESCs from patients with specific diseases to research the causes of disease

Question 41

reproductive cloning

Answer 41

implanting the cloned blastocyst into the uterus of a surrogate mother and bring the clone to full term

Question 42

what is reproductive cloning used for?

Answer 42

allows the sterile to have children, allows couples with recessive genes for deadly diseases to have children, provide an organ donor to an existing person, replace a loved one, copy valuable people, people should have freedom to do anything not harmful, would eliminate need for men