The Science of Stem Cell Research and Potential Therapies
The benefits to society gained
by the introduction of new drugs or medical technologies are considerable. The introductions of antibiotics and
vaccines, for example, have dramatically increased life spans and improved the
health of people all over the world.
The science of stem cell therapies, potentially as important as these
other advances, is about to enter a phase of research and development that
could lead to unprecedented cures and palliative treatments. The current
excitement over potential stem cell therapies emanates from new understandings
of genetics and developmental biology.
Although there is no way to predict the outcomes from basic research,
there is enough data to indicate that much of the enthusiasm is warranted.
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| Contributed by: AAAS DoSER and the Institute for
Civil Society
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