David Wright

1/17/2017
Period 3
Annotated Source List
Alexander. "New Stem Technology Replicates Salamanders Limb Regeneration
Abilities." Human Limb Regeneration, 11 Sept. 2016,
humanlimbregeneration.com/how-can-stem-cells-regrow-limbs. Accessed 14
Sept. 2016.
Summary:
Just recently, scientists from the University of South Wales have claimed that they have
discovered a new method to regenerate bone, tissue, and old wounds. If this theory is one day
turned into a reality, this could completely revolutionize how injuries are treated. Scientists have
been attempting to find a way to make human regeneration possible, but a common problem
keeps coming up: cancer. Cancer occurs when a certain type of cell in someones body wont
stop multiplying. By the end of 2017, scientists should be able to start conducting experiments
with iMS, or induced impotent stem cells, on actual humans. Thankfully, however, iMS cells are
not supposed to be cells that can turn cancerous. Despite all this research and hypothesizing,
though, there are still many problems and questions scientists are faced with, such as, It is still
unclear according to scientists how the science behind this new stem cell technology works and
how these cells know what to generate and where. It is thought that the cells lose their hard wired
identity, with the fat cells forgetting what it is and responds to surrounding cells. The reason
why this project to make human regeneration a reality is taking such a long time is because they
are trying to convert human cells into cells that have the natural ability to regenerate. Just placing
a cell from an animal that can regenerate inside a human would not work because the body
would reject it. Not only that, but the cell may very well become cancerous. Using a regular
human cell would prevent both of those problems.If human regeneration is one day proven
possible, however, the possibilities of what could be done with are vast. It would be a type of
science that could completely revolutionize the medical field.
Application to Research:
This article was an extremely good read. It not only offered new information for me to take into
consideration, but it also filled me in on how far along regular scientists are with this same
research. This helps me get a good idea of where to start, and it also tells me what has already
been tried and why it failed, so I dont waste my time committing the same mistakes.
Ford, Allison. The Truth about Your Bodys Cell Regeneration. More, 19 July 2010,
www.more.com/lifestyle/excersize-health/truth-about-your-bodys-cell-regeneration.
Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
Summary:

The article begins by alluding to the classic myth that our bodies go through a cycle of cell
regeneration once every seven years. The main reason why this myth is false is because all cells
regenerate at different speeds- and that is if the cell regenerates at all. Depending on the type of
cell it is and what its role is, the speed it would take to be replaced by something identical. For
example, epidermis cless, better known as skin cells, reproduce about once a week. On the
contrary, teeth cells do not regenerate whatsoever.
The reason behind cells and body parts (,or at least the ones that do,) regenerating at such a slow
rate as a whole is because that in order for something to completely regenerate and replace the
original body part, not only do the cells need to be remade, but the new cells need to be molded
in the same exact shape and form as the last group of cells. Not only is the act of regeneration a
long process in general, but as the human body ages, the process becomes longer as well.
Application to Research:
This was another good article because it gives me a control to compare my new data to. It gave
me a general idea of how the process of regeneration is for humans right now. I didnt realize just
how slow the cells of important organs grew back, this also makes me realize just has little has
been accomplished as of yet in this specific field.
Blair, Kate. "Embryonic Stem Cells: Where Do They Come from and What Can They
Do?" EuroStemCell, 26 Mar. 2015, www.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/
embryonic-stem-cells-where-do-they-come-and-what-can-they-do. Accessed 15
Nov. 2016.
Summary:
Stem Cells are extremely useful and meaningful cells in the human body. They can be used for
many different purposes, and can be used to heal many different body parts. Stem cells are
initially found in embryos who are just a few days old. The embryo is just about a cluster of 100
cells or so. Some of the cells in the inner cell mass are pluripotent: they can make every type of
cell in the body. To better understand stem cells, mice are used as examples because their bodily
structures are very similar to humans. Mouse ES cells can be put back into a mouse blastocyst
and this blastocyst can then be returned to the uterus of a female mouse to develop into a foetus.
The injected ES cells take part in the development of the foetus and the resulting pup is born
with a mixture of cells, from the host blastocyst and cells that came from the injected ES cells.
This new mouse with cells from two different origins is known as a chimera. Chimeras can pass
on genes from embryonic stem cells to their offspring. Despite some similarities, mouse stem
cells and human stem cells still have different properties. Scientists are still working to discover
why that is and how it could be made possible to obtain human stem cells the same way as they
can obtain stem cells from mice.
Application to Research:
This article was extremely beneficial because it compares and contrasts the stem cells in both
humans and mice. It helps explain why the two are different and how we can help achieve the
results that we get in mice in humans. I believe this article can be used as a great gateway to new
theories and hypotheses for my research and is very thought provoking.
Coghlan, Andy. "Two 'Ethical' Ways to Harvest." New Scientist, 16 Oct. 2005,
www.newscientist.com/article/dn8164-two-ethical-ways-to-harvest-stem-cells/.

Accessed 15 Nov. 2016.

Summary:
Some scientists may have discovered two new ways to make extracting stem cells from embryos
ethical. Both of these theories have been made public online in Nature and appear to triumph
over the main reasons that make embryonic stem cells extraction unethical. As of now, almost all
embryonic stem cells have been taken by using a human embryo that is growing in a ball that is
made up of about 100 total cells, called the inner cell mass. This inner cell mass is rich in
embryonic stem cells. After scientists use a syringe to take the embryonic stem cells, the embryo
is then destroyed and loses the possibility of life. Bob Lanza and his colleagues at Advanced Cell
Technology, a company in Worcester, Massachusetts, US, overcame this problem in mice by
extracting just one cell from a very early 8-cell embryo called a morula. Lanza and his
colleagues coaxed the single extracted cell, called a blastomere, into dividing into a colony of
embryonic stem cells. They put the blastomere in touch with pre-existing embryonic stem cells.
These also provided the correct signal for the blastomere to become a stem cell, as well. The
biggest benefit of this theory is that the last 7-cell embryos, when placed into the womb of a
female mice, the baby mice still grows into a regular baby mice. The second theory is called
altered nuclear transfer, developed by Rudolf Jaenisch and Alexander Meissner at the MITs
Whitehead Institute in boston, Massachusetts.
Application to Research:
This article is extremely useful to my research because it provides a lot of food for thought and
gives a lot of different ideas as to how to make embryonic stem cells more ethical, which was
always the main problem I ran into in my research. Even if these theories do not end up
working, it will help give me more ideas on how to create my own ideas and maybe I will be
able to critique these same theories myself and find a way to make these possibilities a reality.
Explore Stem Cells. 16 Oct. 2016, www.explorestemcells.co.uk/NewHarvestingTechniques.html.
Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
New harvesting techniques are important with research regarding stem cells because they can
fight diseases in a more case-by-case basis. They may also be used in stem cell therapies so that
they can cure seemingly untreatable illnesses. Due to altered nuclear transfer, stem cells might
just be able to get extracted from embryos without destroying the embryo. This can possibly be a
way to end the looming ethical dilemma that has consequently slowed down and (in some cases)
stopped research and advancement in the field. In the past, embryonic stem cells were obtained
during somatic stem nuclear transplant. A somatic body cell is a cell with a removed nucleus so
that the egg is tricked and believes it is fertilized. This way the stem cells are produced without
harming anyone. With this strategy, scientists should, in theory, be able to get an endless amount
of embryonic stem cells without creating and in turn destroying embryos. This offered idea on
extracting stem cells takes place in a two day old embryo after the blastomeres are divided into
eight different parts. In the past, harvesting stem cells would take place at a later stage, when the
embryo has just around 150 cells. Now, it has been discovered that stem cells can also be
extracted from blastomeres. This may cause a reaction in the cell which forces it to split. The
remaining stem cell would still be able to be used for research on the topic.
Application to research:

This is a great article to read for my topic because it gives more possibly ways to make
extracting embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo. If this ever becomes a
possibility, then regeneration may not be so far off, after all.
Explore Stem Cells. 26 Nov. 2016,
http://www.explorestemcells.co.uk/pluripotentstemcells.html. Accessed 29 Nov. 2016.
Summary:
People often get the wrong idea when they hear the word cloning. They often envision duplicate
humans or mad scientists, or something out of a fictional movie. In all honesty, even Dolly the
sheep being cloned caused an outrage in the public. Thankfully, therapeutic cloning is different.
It does not create a perfect copy of a human, nor does it involve sperm fertilisation. Another
name for therapeutic cloning is somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT for short. For SCNT,
scientists take a nucleus from the egg inside the mother. This egg contains the genetic material
for a human or laboratory animal. The scientists then proceed to extract a somatic cell and the
nucleus of the cell. A somatic cell is a cell in the body that is not in the egg or sperm. Usually,
somatic cells are taken from patients who require stem cell transplants for health conditions.
Some benefits of therapeutic cloning is that the cells being removed are pluripotent cells.
Pluripotent cells are a type of cell that can grow into any other type of cell into the body. These
cells have the potential to treat many diseases because of this. Also, it alleviates the risk of the
body rejecting the new cells because somatic, or stem cells, would use the bodys own parts. The
main issue with this whole method of therapeutic cloning is that the success rate is poor. The egg
is not very stable and at this point in time, it may take hundreds of tries to actually get a
successful clone created.
Application to research:This article helped further my research because it gave me more
information on pluripotent cells and how they are currently being used in the field. This may help
me come up with ideas on how to improve on what has already been done. It seems as if they
have found a way to clone body parts, but the success rate is extremely low (which makes the
ethical part of my research an even bigger issue). This was also extremely unbiased, as it gave
both pros and cons to this form of science.
How Cells Multiply. Cancer Research UK, 25 Sept. 2009,
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerinfo/youthandschools/latestfromthelab/howcellswork/howcellsmultiply/how-cells-multipl.
Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Summary:
In order for people to grow and develop, cells need to multiply. The nucleus inside of the cell
tells the rest of the cell when it is time for this action to occur. Cells are incredible, as they can
start as just one but multiply to an endless amount. Sadly, it would be very easy for a process like
this to get out of hand, so it must be carefully controlled. In a slideshow on the website, it shows
real cells being divided. It starts with just a single cell, that slowly stretches out and then
separates to make two identical cells. Sadly, after becoming adults, some cells in our bodies lose
the ability to multiply when our bodies need healing or after surgery. Also, cells only have the
ability to multiply at certain times. Examples given by the website are nerve, liver, and cell
linings on the stomach. Nerve cells never multiply, liver cells only regenerate themselves every
two years or so, and the cell lining on the stomach are the exact opposite. They multiply about
twice every day. The growth and multiplication of cells in the body is called the cell cycle. Each
cell goes through the same process, and specific points in this process are called checkpoints.

These specific checkpoints act as stoplights on a road, as it tells cells when to start the next stage
and when to hold off. The body only allows healthy cells to forgo this process, as damaged cells
are either repaired or destroyed. One of the events in the cell cycle is something called mitosis.
This is when DNA in a cell is copied and shared to new cells. This process also duplicates
chromosomes to create two sets. The four stages of mitosis are prophase, metaphase, anaphase,
and telophase. The DNA is duplicated in prophase, are aligned in metaphase, separated in
anaphase, and then prepares to cleave in two in telophase.
Application to research:
I chose this article for my weekly reading report because I need to understand how cells
regenerate in general in order to try and get stem cells to regenerate. This article explained the
whole cell cycle and how it works, step by step, It also went into detail about how this process
controls the multiplication of cells to prevent cancer.
Graber, Cynthia. Could This Man Hold the Secret to Human Regeneration? Medium, 13 Jan.
2014, medium.com/matter/could-this-man-hold-the-secret-to-human-regeneration1e66944f0a8d#.aw5dmafaa. Accessed 21 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
The article begins by introducing the reader to Michael Lewin. Lewin is a forty-four year old
man who is director of Tufts Universitys Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology in
Medford. He is possibly on the verge of a breakthroughin terms of cracking the code for
human regeneration. Lewin believes that the secret behind this never ending search may be
found in the electrical signals that are transmitted among all our cells, much like the ones and
zeros that zip around in a computers hard drive (Graber 1). He has also gotten to the point in
his research where he can manipulate the cells of flatworm so that they have four heads.
Surprisingly, however, Lewins research is not well known. This is due to the fact that many
scientists believe the key to human regenerationif
such a thing existslies

in studies of
genetics and stem cells.
The article then proceeds to talk about Luigi Galvani, an anatomy professor from Italy in the
1700s. He had a some dissected frog legs. Every Time the legs were touched by a metal scalpel
that was attached to electricity, the dissected legs moved. This is where Lewins and some other
scientists have gotten their theory of bodies having some sort of electricity running through
them.
The rest of the article ws background information about Lewin. The story of his upbringing and
childhood was brought up. They described how he got interested in the topic of regeneration.
Application to Research:
This article was a great read because it exposed me to other, lesser known theories in the world.
It also gave me background and reasoning to explain why this theory was ever initially created.
The article also gave me the names of two great scientists I can look up to help aid my research.
How Do Animals Re-Grow Limbs (And Why Cant We?). Youtube, uploaded by Hank Green,
19 June 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFa6jP6WgzM. Accessed 28 Sept. 2016.
Summary:

Starfish can regenerate arms, lizards can regenerate severed tails, and some flatworms can
regenerate their entire body from a single adult cell, and [human] skin will grow back together
after a paper cut. Every animal, including humans, can regenerate to some extent. The question
at hand, however, is why is it that when a human loses an arm- for example- the only thing
grown back is scar tissue that forms collagen with a layer of skin on top, as opposed to some of
the above mentioned animals who can regenerate a lost limb completely. A common example of
this can be found in salamanders. If a salamander was to lose his leg, the body would respond by
producing something scientists call a wound epidermis. This sends a wave of chemical
instructions telling the body to create a new leg by going (what seems to be) back in time to
before the leg, or whatever limb was lost, was severed. Then the growth process starts all over
again. Scientists still have questions about this occurrence in salamanders, such as: why does
the wound epidermis form in the first place, how does it trigger that reversion in the cells
below it? and, How do all those regenerating cells know where they should be? Up until
recently, scientists had no idea on how salamanders and other animals could regenerate and
humans could not. Not to long ago, however, scientists have discovered the microphage, which
go into the site of the wound and eat up all of the dead cells while sending new ones out. They
are also known to be able to repair muscle. Consequently, when scientists were to remove these
microphages from salamanders, the reproduction process takes much longer and in some cases,
the reproduction process didnt even happen, and scar tissue formed instead (what humans get).
Sadly, researchers say that we are still a long way off from finding out how to get humans to
fully regenerate. Also, it takes salamanders over a year in some cases to reform a lost limb and
larger ones over a decade. This means that even if humans could regenerate limbs, it would take
an awfully long time.
Application to research:
This was a very beneficial source because, being my first video used as a source, I was able to
understand the complex information much better when given an image along with the words.
Also, it introduced me to a new, and very current, topic in the microphage. This can open new
possibilities for me in terms of what to research next and possible theories I can come up with
myself.

"How Do Wounds, Cuts, Scrapes, Lacerations Heal?" Go Ask Alice, 13 Feb. 2015,
goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/how-do-wounds-cuts-scrapes-lacerations-he
al.
Summary:
The article is actually a response to a question. The question was submitted by a user on the
website and it says, I fell on my rollerblades yesterday and skinned my knee. Now I'm watching
my knee change and I am fascinated by the healing process. Could you explain to me just what is
happening? The author of the response, Alice, (no last name was given,) said that after the asker
fell and scraped her knee, the healing process for the cut had already began. She says that your
body always starts to heal immediately after you get injured. The first stage in this process is

called vasoconstriction. The blood vessels in your body begin to tighten so that less blood travels
to the injured body part. This helps stop the bleeding when you are wounded. Second, the
platelets go to the injured spot and clump together. They start to close up the wound, as it acts
like a plug. In order to hold this plug in place, your proteins then clump together and holds the
platelet in place and stops the bleeding due to coagulation. The previously clumped together
blood cells now dilate and separate to allow white blood cells to enter and begin cleaning out the
cut and destroying any germs that had entered. Now that the body has rid the wound of any risks
of germs and infections, the body then focuses on actually healing the injured part of your body.
Fibroblasts create collagen which creates capillaries under the scab that is eventually formed.
The skin on the sides of the wound begins to thicken and move over to cover the injured area.
Lastly, scar tissue will also form from dead skin cells. It will gradually fade over the next couple
of months or years, but it will only be about 80% as strong when the skin comes back.
Application to Research:
This article did a good job of explaining the way our bodies regenerate and heal. Because I am
trying to essentially regenerate and heal, but just on a bigger scale, learning about how the
human body heals on a simple level is important.
How Quickly Do Different Cells in the Body Replace Themselves? Bio Numbers,
book.bionumbers.org/how-quickly-do-different-cells-in-the-body-replace-themselves/. Accessed
7 Dec. 2016.

Summary:
Everyone has experienced cell regeneration before in the past. Proof of this is when we donate
blood, but we continue to make more, or when we are cut but our bodies heal the damage
received. Cells in your body are all different when it comes to the time it takes to regenerate.
Skin cells are constantly shed and renewed. The cells inside of our stomach are replaced every
five days or so, and hair regrows at a completely different rate. We can connect the amount of
cells in an organism to how long it takes to regenerate a body part. The rates of cell regeneration
vary for different parts of the body. For body parts that regenerate at a faster rate we can
calculate this rate by the nucleotide analog BrdU. For other body parts that take more time to
regenerate, it is more complicate their time needed to regenerate. After the cold war, nuclear
levels were analyzed because of how much they were spiked. This research on nuclear levels led
to the realization by scientists that the carbon contained in these nuclear levels are later turned
into CO2 and eventually find its way into the food we eat. This led the studying the effects of
carbon on regeneration on humans, as it was apparent that this extreme amount of nuclear energy
was in the air. Scientists deducted that, based off of this knowledge, adipocytes, or fat cells
replace at a rate of 8+/- 6% per year. This means that most of the body's fat cells are replaced in
about eight years.
Application to research:
I thought this article would be very useful because the study of stem cells only started because of
me trying to learn more about regeneration. This article brings me back to regeneration and what
scientists have learned about it. The more i know about regeneration, the more I may be able to

know about how stem cells work. Also, the article was filled with charts to help me understand
this information better.
Hug, Kristina, and Gran Hermern. Embryonic Stem Cell Research: An Ethical Dilemma.
xxxxxEuro Stem Cell, 5 Nov. 2015, xxxxxwww.eurostemcell.org/factsheet/embryonicstem-cell-research-ethical-dilemma. Accessed xxxxx28 Sept. 2016.
Summary:
A way to research and learn more about STEM cells at a much more efficient rate would
be to extract them from embryos. It is undisputable that this method would be very beneficial
towards research that is involved with the cells of humans. The reason why so many are against
this and why this practice has not been allowed is because of ethical dilemma that comes along
with it. Some see embryos as just another body part because they are still unborn, whereas some
others see embryos as humans already who just have not gotten to the point in life where they
can live on their own. This has caused a big debate over what warrants a human. The people
against sacrificing embryos believe that from the moment a females egg is fertilized, that the
being is human. On the flip side, people who are for this generally believe that something that
has none of the five senses and cannot function on its own is not human.
Another viewpoint is that even if an embryo is a human, should its value be equal to other
humans? The reason behind using these embryos and consequently taking the lives of unborn
people is for a good purpose. Its for the greater good for humans and modern medicine. So, does
refusing to risk a few (,few in comparison,) lives so that we could possibly aid million upon
millions of humans really become ethical?
Application to Research:
This was a very useful article because it showed me both pros and cons for possible means of
research. It also showed that scientists cant do as they please, and that ethics and morals often
get in the way. This may contribute to the lack of knowledge being gathered in this particular
type of research. It also made me think about my own ethics. It made me almost question my
research topic because it seems as if to produce the results that are wanted/needed, we have to
risk a lot of things. Now, its more than just an extensive amount of time and money, but even the
lives of others.
Mosher, Jack. Interview. 17 Jan. 2017.
Krapp, Kristine, .Ed. Genetic Engineering. Gale, 2002,
go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchI
d=R1&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=6&userGroupName=hcpub_hebron&inP
S=true&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE
%7CCX3405900356&&docId=GALE|CX3405900356&docType=GALE. Accessed 13 Oct.
2016.
Summary:

Humans have been engaging in genetic engineering for thousands of years. They have morphed
the way things in nature lived naturally, as they have picked the most desirable plants or animals
for breeding, combined different breeds of animals and different types of plants. In the 1970s,
however, genetic engineering took a huge leap forward. They finally discovered gene splicing,
which allowed them to alter the actual genetic code of a living being. According to the site,
Promising areas of genetic engineering include human gene therapy and stem-cell research.
Gene therapy involves repairing or replacing mutated genes in order to correct the malfunctions
in protein production that can lead to disease. The use of gene therapy is being researched for
diseases such as cancer, muscular dystrophy, hemophilia B, heart disease, and severe combined
immune deficiency disease (known as "bubble boy disease"), among others. Stem cells are the
undifferentiated cells from which specialized embryonic cells develop. They are considered one
of science's best hopes for curing disease. Modified stem cells may one day be used to replace
diseased cells affecting function throughout the body's systems. Despite the plentiful amount of
pros it has, genetic engineering is very controversial and has caused many protests due to the
short and long term risks as well as potential environmental threats. Stem cells have also been
frowned upon by the public because they are generally taken from aborted fetuses and embryos.
Application to research:
Because I realized how much the study of Stem Cells was related to genetic engineering, I
decided to find an article that gave me a general idea about genetic engineering. I only
summarized the parts directly relevant to my research in class above, but the article also talked a
lot about genetic research in general which helped me increase my understanding of the topic.
This article also was very unbiased, as it showed both sides of the argument. It showed why
some people are pro stem cells and furthering genetic engineering and why some are extremely
against it.
Longe, Jacqueline L. "Cell Therapy." Gale, 2005,
go.galegroup.com/ps/retrieve,do?
tabID=T003&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchId=R2&searchType=AdvancedSearchFor
mtPosition=2&userGroupName=hcpub_hebron&inPS=true&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSeg
ment=&prodId=GVRL&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3435100162&&docId=GALE|
CX343510062&docType=GALE. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
Cell Therapy has been a concept for hundreds of years. The first to come up with the idea of cell
therapy was a man named Phillippus Aureolus Paracelsus, a German-Swiss physician and
alchemist back in the early 1500s. Parascelsus believed that the best way to treat an illness was
through using living tissue. Cell Therapy has been proven to be a beneficial practice, as it has
been known to treat AIDS, and to help patients with neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's
disease, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. Further uses have shown positive results in the
treatment of a wide range of chronic conditions such as arteriosclerosis, congenital defects, and
sexual dysfunction. The therapy has also been used to treat cancer patients at a number of clinics

in Tijuana, Mexico, although this application has not been well supported with controlled clinical
studies. (Longe).
In effect, cell therapy is a type of organ transplant which has also been called
xenotransplant therapy. This procedure requires the the injection of a complete xenogenic cell
from animals or cell extracts from humans. According to the article, the latter is known as
autologous cell therapy because the cells are extracted from and transplanted back into the same
patient and Several different types of cells can be administered simultaneously(Longe). A big
con to the whole procedure is that patients who undergo surgery that involve the cells from
animals run the risk of cell rejection. Once the body recognizes that something inside of you was
not initially there, your body may go out to destroy it. A full list of side effects for this type of
surgery is still unknown because there are so many different things that this field encompaasses
that scientists have not researched yet. Some side effects that are already known, however,
include Anaphylactic shock (severe allergic reaction), immune system reactions, and encephalitis
(inflammation of the brain).
Application to research:
This article was extremely helpful because it gave me insight on another method that could
possibly lead to regeneration in humans. It also gave me a good amount of insight and
background information on the topic including when and where the whole idea came from. This
also touched on the hypothesis that I have been having that animals may be the key to getting
human regeneration to work. If our body do not reject the body parts from other species, maybe
we could simply get the cell from the animals.
Lovgren, Stefan, Stem Cells Can Be Collected without Destroying Embryos, Scientists Show.
National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2006.
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060823-stem-cells_2.html.Accessed 15
Oct. 2016
Summary:
It has finally been announced that it is possible to extract stem cells from embryos without
destroying them. A research team has said that it should be possible to just be able to take a
single stem cells from the embryo and use tat one cell to grow more. This work has been led by a
medical director named Robert Lanza who said, were showing for the first time that its
possible to create stem cells without destroying the embryo and without destroying its
potential for life, Lanza said. Stem cells are incredibly special because they have the potential to
grow into any other type of cell that your body uses, whether if that is a skin cell, muscle cell,
tissue cells, or anything else. Scientists are hoping that they can use stem cells to grow new
organs , repair tissues, and even regrow whole limbs. Some types of stem cells can even be
extracted from umbilical cord blood, adult bone marrow, or maybe even adult skin. Despite these
other possible places that stem cells may be extracted from, embryonic stem cells have the
greatest research potential, because they can develop into more cell types than other stem cells.
Sadly, however, the obtention of stem cells from embryos has been highly controversial because
it has required the destruction of living embryos. Technology is only sophisticated enough at

this point that embryonic stem cells are derived by extracting a mass of cells from an embryo.
The problem with this is that embryos are only made up of eight to ten cells, so taking all of
those cells would inevitably kill the embryo and its potential for life. Scientists believe it would
be possible to use spare human embryos from in vitro fertilization. They would use a small
pipette in order to extract just a single cell from each embryo. This should theoretically work
because in the PGD tests, embryos that had just one cell removed were still able to evolve into
fetuses.
Application to research:
This applies to my research very well because I have been looking for ways t use embryonic
stem cells for weeks without destroying the embryo, but to no avail. This article does a good job
describing the steps needed to be taken in order to make this a possibility. If this could happen,
then there would be no people against the ethics of the science and it would make the dream of
human regeneration closer to a reality.

Lopatto, Elizabeth. "Scientists Force Mature Cells to Revert to Stem Cells."

Bloomberg, 11 Sept. 2013, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-09-11/
scientists-force-mature-cells-to-revert-to-stem-cells. Accessed 13 Dec.
2016.
Summary:
Back in June of 2011, a man received a windpipe transplant because his own windpipe had
cancer. This operation was different than other windpipe transplants because his new windpipe
was created from his own cells. Being able to make organs with a patient's own cells will be
beneficial because not only will the body not reject the new organ, but this means that there
wont be a long list for people waiting for donors. In orders to do this, scientists took a 3D scan
of the mans windpipe and create a model of it with a special polymer and a glass mould. They
then took stem cells from the mans own bone marrow and put the inside the mode of his
windpipe and the stem cells then started to recreate the windpipe. A couple of days later, the
windpipe was then transplanted inside of the man after an operation that lasted just about twelve
hours.
Scientists have made artificial organs from what they call three categories: Flat organs such as
skin, tubes, such as windpipes and blood vessels, and hollow sac-like organs, like the bladder or
stomach. There is one more category, however, that scientists have had a problem with. This
category is solid organs, which include kidneys, hearts, lungs, etc. These are harder to create
artificially because they are much thicker and the design of these organs are much more
complex. They also have a lot of different cells making them up, so you cannot just use stem
cells and have them grow. You need them to grow into many different types of cells. ANother
problem scientists have ran across is that adult stem cells do not have the same type of skill as
embryonic stem cells in terms of being able to turn into any type of cell. Now, scientists are
trying to find a way to make stem cells turn back into their embryonic stage.
Application to Research:

This article was really helpful to my research because I was not just researching how stem cells
could regrow limbs, but how they could be used to heal and/or regrow organs, as well. This
article tackles that exact point and even talks about how that has already been done to a point.
With this new information, I know how far along scientists have com with everything I have
tried to study and learn more about with my research and I realize that every scientists that work
with stem cells have seem to run into the same roadblocks. They always end up having to go
revert back into embryonic stem cells, and that always brings back the whole ethical argument
about should embryos really be sacrificed for their stem cells. This means I now need to research
how to either revert stem cells to their embryonic form, or find a way to get regeneration in
humans to happen in a completely different way.
Mandal, Ananya, Dr. What Are Stem Cells? News Medical, 23 Dec. 2013,
www.news-medical.net/life-sciences/What -are-Stem-Cells.aspx. Accessed 5 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
Stem cells are the type of cell that all the other cells come from and are based off of. A notable
characteristic of stem cells is that they can multiply as well as regenerate. They can also end up
developing into different types of cells. There are three types of stem cells: pluripotent, fetal, and
adult stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to continue multiplying for a long period
of time as well as being able to create any type of cell within the organism. A common example
of this occurs in embryos. This occurs in the blastocyst stage of development. The blastocyst is a
hollow ball of cells that is smaller than a pinhead. The embryonic stem cells are in that hollow
ball. The next type of stem cell, fetal stem cells, which are obtained from the tissue of a human
fetus. According to the article, These cells have some characteristics of the tissues they are
taken from. For example, those taken from fetal muscles can make only muscle cells. These are
also called progenitor cells (Mandal). The last type of stem cell, the adult stem cell, can be
taken from the tissue of an adult human. A common example of this occurring is in bone marrow.
Bone marrow can be used to cure diseases and cancers. Stem cell research is improving by
leaps and bounds. These may soon become the basis for treating diseases such as Parkinson's
disease, diabetes, heart failure, cerebral palsy, heart disease and host of other chronic ailments
(Mandal).
Application to research:
This article contributed greatly to my research as it introduced new information about stem cells
to me. It also helped me understand why many scientists have considered experimenting with
fetuses (despite how unethical that may sound, it at least helps me see their perspectives and
reasonings. This article telling me about different types of stem cells opens up many doors for
my research and what I should research next.
Martin, Laura J. Transplant Rejection MedlinePlus, 30 Apr. 2015,
aaaaamedlineplus.gov/ency/article0000815.htm.
Summary:

When receiving an organ from a donor, your bodys immune system recognizes that it is foreign
and attacks it. The immune system usually only attacks things that are deemed harmful, but
because the new organ being placed in the patient's body is something new, your immune system
assumes it is also harmful and this causes your body to go through many side effects. To try and
prevent this, doctors try to find people with similar antigens to reduce the negative side effects or
negate them completely. However, no two people have the same antigens unless they are
identical twins, meaning that every one who undergo organ transplants are subject to negative
side effects for the most part. There are some exceptions to this, however. Cornea implants
usually do not have negative side effects because the cornea does not contain any blood.
There are three types of rejections for organ donations: Hyperacute, acute, and chronic rejection.
Hyperacute rejection takes place almost immediately after the donation of the organ because the
antigens do not match nearly at all. An example of this is when someone receives type B blood
when they are type A. When hyperacute rejection occurs, the transplanted organ needs to be
taken out immediately. Acute rejection has a longer grace period than the aforementioned
rejection. This usually takes a week to three months for the side effects to occur. Lastly, chronic
rejection takes place over many years. This constant rejection slowly damages the implanted
organ. Some symptoms during rejections are decrease in functionality of the organ, a general
feeling of sickness or uneasiness, and flu like symptoms. More rare symptoms would include a
fever and pain and/or swelling of the organ.
Application to research:
I researched this because if stem cells are one day used for regeneration, the side effects for
organ donations would not be a problem anymore. Knowing the exact symptoms and the causes
of these symptoms would make my claim seem a lot more important and helpful, possibly
helping persuade those learning about my topic. This article helps prove more reasons that make
stem cell regeneration a beneficial thing that should be studied and funded more.
Rajasekharan, Ajit. How Do Cells Know What to Become. Quora, 24 Dec. 2015,
www.quora.com/How-do-cells-know-what-to-become. Accessed 11 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
In order for cells to know what to turn into, they must know what they exactly are, first. This is
needed to be known, because everything begins as a single cell. In order for stem cells to know
what they are and what to later on turn into, they must know where they are in relation to other
cells in the body. An example of this is in a fly. A single cell for a dfly can divide into just about
1,000 copies and each and every cell has the genetic information needed to make the fly fly.
After knowing the positions of all the cells, each cell begins to develop into the parts needed to
construct the parts of the fly. This whole process that constructs a whole fly usually take fifteen
hours and almost always ends with no mistakes. The easiest way for a cell to determine where it
is is by measuring the concentration of different molecules that has settled on a steady state
concentration gradient and using that concentration as a metric for distance.
Application to Research:
Even though the most important thing in my research os figuring out if regeneration by stem
cells is even possible, it is essential to know what exactly to do after the stem cells are implanted.
For all I knew (before reading this article), the hard part would not have been getting the stem
cells put inside of someone, but to make sure the stem cells did what you wanted them to do.

NIH Stem Cell Information Home Page. In Stem Cell Information [World Wide Web site].
xxxxx Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health
and
xxxxx
HumanServices, 2016
Summary:
An adult stem cell is thought to be an undifferentiated cell that can be found with differentiated
cells in a tissue or an organ. The adult stem cell and rejuvenate itself and can change to yield
some or all of the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult
stem cells in a living organism is to maintain and repair tissue.Scientists have recently found
adult stem cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible. Scientists even have
evidence that stem cells exists in the brain and the heart. According to the article, Scientists often
use one or more of the following methods to identify adult stem cells: (1) label the cells in a
living tissue with molecular markers and then determine the specialized cell types they generate;
(2) remove the cells from a living animal, label them in cell culture, and transplant them back
into another animal to determine whether the cells replace (or "repopulate") their tissue of
origin. Scientists must demonstrate that a single adult stem cell can generate a line of
genetically identical cells that then gives rise to all the appropriate differentiated cell types of the
tissue. scientists have reported that adult stem cells occur in many tissues and that they enter
normal differentiation pathways to form the specialized cell types of the tissue in which they
reside. Despite these new breakthroughs about stem cells in adults, there are still a lot of
questions that still need to be answered.

Application to research:
This article goes in the opposite direction as the first one, in terms of solving the problem of how
to retrieve stem cells without harming or even destroying the embryo. This article talked about
how we could possibly extract stem cells from adults instead. This would mean that we would
not even have to worry about experimenting on embryos whatsoever.
Plant Stem Cells Vs. Human Stem Cells. Stemology, 19 Feb. 2016,
stemologyskincare.com/blog/plant-stem-cells-human-stem-cells/. Accessed 26
Oct. 2016.
Summary:
There are two major types of stem cells that are used in skincare today plant and human. At
Stemology, we want to help you have a better understanding of the benefits of each and the
differences between the two, so you can make the choice that is right for you. The stem cell
revolution in skin care began with plant stem cells. Plant stem cells are the undifferentiated cells
found in the meristems of vegetation. An example of this is how plants may completely grow
back in a week or so if you were to break off a stem. That said, unlike human stem cells, the
growth factors, cytokines and other proteins, which are the products of plant stem cells, do not
have the ability to act in the same way in humans, as in plants. The stem cells in plants
communicate with each other in completely different ways then stem cells in animals. These
stem cells in plants can be used to help skincare in humans, but have a very limited function.

Plant stem cell derivatives can uniquely assist in increasing production of human skin cells and
collagen, but by the means of delivering some useful nutrients to the skin.
There are many different types of stem cells in humans, but the most known type is
embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are extremely controversial. Despite contrary belief,
skin care products do not contain stem cells. Whether if the source of the stem cell is from a
human, plant, or animal, stem cells are far too difficult to obtain at a high quantity, so scientists
refuse to use them for something as simple as skin care.
Analysis to research:
This was a very good article to read because it not only talked about stem cells in humans, but it
also talked about stem cells in plants, which is not something that is talked about much when
discussing genetic engineering. Although this article makes it pretty clear stem cells in plants can
not be used in regeneration, which is essentially my topic, it is still good to know for sure. It also
helps me see just why stem cells in animals, more specifically humans, are so special.
Tanaka, Elly. Regeneration: What Does It Mean and How Does It Work? Copyright
2008-2015 EuroStemCell und mitwirkende Autoren, 25 Nov. 2015,
Summary:
As adults, humans can regenerate some body cells. Even though a lost limb can eventually grow
back, it only regains its size. The limb doe not have the same shape as before.An example of this
occasion is a human liver. Some animals, however, can regenerate full body parts to the same
condition as before. Some body part that may be regenerated by different animals include: limb,
heart, tail, brain, eye tissues, kidney, brain and spinal cord. After the loss of a limb in animals, a
blastema, the injury site, is created and stem cells lump up there. This phenomenon leaves
scientists with a question that still has yet to be answered: Do the animals use a single type of
stem cell in the blastema that can differentiate into many different types of tissues (called a
multipotent stem cell). Or is a separate set of stem cells responsible for making each of the
different tissues needed to make up the new body part? After addressing this question, the
article proceeded to explaining how regeneration works. The article theorizes that if humans can
understand exactly how regeneration works in animals, there can be a way to make regeneration
possible for humans. A scientist named Peter Reddien recently solved a long standing question
on evolution in flatworms. They realized that a single stem cell can regenerate a whole flatworm.
This means that one stem cell can be pluripotent, or a cell that can grow back all of the different
types of cells without creating a tumor. By knowing more about these types of cells, scientists
may one day be able to alter cells inside a human. This way, humans will have the needed
components to regenerate just as certain animals do.
Application to Research:
This website was extremely helpful. It was very easy to understand and it helped me learn some
more about the basics of my topic on regeneration. It also included diagrams, which was very
beneficial, as I consider myself a visual learner. This website was also helpful because it told me

how far scientists are with their studies on regeneration. Knowing that, I have a much better idea
of where to start when researching future possibilities for this topic.
Riordan , Niel.Stem Cell Implantation. Stem Cell Institute, 2016, www.cellmedicine.com/
stem-cell-implantation/.
Summary:
There are four different ways to implant stem cells into the human body. These ways are
determined by the specific treatment needed for each separate patients ailments. During the
entire treatment, patients usually get a total of three to sixteen stem cells implanted inside of
them. There are currently four different main types of stem cells implantation. The first is
Intrathecal, which is for neurological situations. The stem cells are placed directly inside the
spinal fluid so they can make their way straight to the brain. Intravenous is when stem cells are
implanted into the body in the safest way possible. This safe alternative anesthesia is not needed,
but light anesthesia can still be used if needed. Intra-articular is stem cell implantation into
someones joints. Lastly, intramuscular is when stem cells are placed into the muscles directly.
Application to research:
Despite it being a relatively short article, I did this for my research report because it gave me
much needed information on stem cells and how they are currently being put inside humans
bodies. This article taught me the different ways stem cells are put into the body and how they
are used differently.
Sachs, Judith, editor. WebMD. www.webmd.com/cancer/features/stem-cell-transplantcomplications#1. Accessed 11 Jan. 2017.
Summary:
Having stem cells that are from other peoples bodies may cause rejection in your bodies just like
transplanting other organs. The good thing is, however, scientists and doctors work towards
making medicines to water down and sometimes complete take away the negative side effects of
these operations. The most common negative side effect is graft-versus-host-disease, or GvHD.
Some side effects that come along with my disease are rash, itching and scaly skin, hair loss,
gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps), liver damage (a
yellow complexion or jaundice) and dry and damaged mouth, esophagus, lungs, and other
organs. Graft failure is usually rare, but it occurs when your body rejects stem cells. Another
major, negative side effect is that cancer can still occur years the implant.
Application to Research:
This article was important because it made me aware that stem cells be transplanted into another
persons body still carry many risks. These risks arent as plentiful as usually transplants with
organs, but they are still serious and should be noted. This gives me other side topics that I
should research for future for reading reports.
The Tech Museum of Innovation. 2913, genetics.thetech.org/original_news/news70.
Summary:
Scientists in wisconsin and Japan made their own embryonic stem cells. Being able to do this,
this means that there wont be any problems from people who are pro-life and bio-ethics.

Embryonic stem cells are important because they can duplicate over and over again, meaning
that you do not need to extract many to be able to use them in many different operations. This
will help a lot of different organs that can not heal themselves, such as the pancreas that cant
make insulin when you have diabetes, but with Embryonic stem cells, they can make a pancreas
that can make its own insulin and can help those with diabetes. Two types of scientists have also
turned skin cells into stem cells by adding four genes. By doing this, it was almost as if they
reversed time and brought the cell back into when it was a stem cell and had to change into
whatever cell would benefit the body the most. However, scientists need to be careful when
doing this because putting the wrong gene inside the wrong cell will mess up its transformation
into a stem cell. For example, you cant put a gene that helps your eyes see into your liver and
expect it to help your level heal.
Application to research:
If scientists are able to make their own stem cells, this will completely change both my research
and the research being conducted by actual scientists. Being able to create stem cells means that
scientists wont even have to consider embryonic stem cells and sacrificing embryos just for
healing limbs and organs. Being able to make their own stem cells that can also duplicate and
multiply will make testing on them and learning more about them much easier. This will also
make them more expendable, meaning that they can be used for more people and for much more
different uses.
What Are Stem Cells? Medicalnewstoday.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/
Stem_cell. Accessed 24 Oct 2016.
Summary:
Stem cells are cells that can evolve into any other type of cell in the body. Stem stells usually
come from embryos formed during the blastocyst phase of embryological development
(embryonic stem cells) and from adult tissue (adult stem cells). Both types of stem cells are
categorized by their potency, or potential to differentiate into different cell types. Adult stem
cells are found in humans after they are embryos. These types of cells are generally found in
adult tissue, such as the brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin, and the
liver. They generally stand by until either disease or injury activates them. Stem cells can
regenerate and reproduce indefinitely, allowing them to heal and possibly regrow parts of your
body and organs. Scientists believe that their abilities are limited because they are not proficient
at differentiating tissue based off of their tissue of origin.
Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, are derived from about five-day-old human
embryos that are still in the blastocyst phase of development. These embryos, as well as the few
that have been tested on, are usually extras that have been created in IVF (in vitro fertilization).
Sexual reproduction begins when a male's sperm fertilizes a female's ovum (egg) to form a
single cell called a zygote. The single zygote cell then begins a series of divisions, forming 2, 4,
8, 16 cells, etc. After four to six days - before implantation in the uterus - this mass of cells is
called a blastocyst. The blastocyst consists of an inner cell mass (embryoblast) and an outer cell
mass (trophoblast). The outer cell mass becomes part of the placenta, and the inner cell mass is
the group of cells that will differentiate to become all the structures of an adult organism. This
latter mass is the source of embryonic stem cells - totipotent cells (cells with total potential to

develop into any cell in the body). Usually, the blastocyst stage continues until implantation of
the embryo in the uterus, which is when embryos are then called fetuses. However, when
extracting the embryonic stem cells, the blastocyst signals when to isolate stem cells by placing
the inner cell mass of the blastocyst into a culture dish containing a nutrient-rich broth.
Lacking the necessary stimulation to differentiate, they begin to divide and replicate while
maintaining their ability to become any cell type in the human body. Eventually, these
undifferentiated cells can be stimulated to create specialized cells.
Analysis to research:
This was a great source for not just providing great stem cell information, but it compared and
contrasted stem cells in embryos with adult stem cells and it showed why adult stem cells would
not be nearly as effective. This article had a plethora of information that I did not touch on
(because if I did, this reading report would be much too long)
What Are Stem Cells? Youtube, uploaded by Craig A. Kohn, 10 Sept. 2013,
xxxxxwww.youtube.com/watch?v=evH0I7Coc54. Accessed 13 Oct. 2016.
Summary:
What is the likelihood that two random people are listening to the exact same playlist?
The possibility is very few because everyone has different tastes in music. Now, what is the
likelihood that two different people are in need of the same healthcare and medicine for their
bodies? The likelihood for thi is even lower. Everyone goes through different experiences
through their lifetimes and this cases different people to have different needs in terms of
healthcare. Doctors are constantly trying to find ways to make medicine more personalized to
raise its effectiveness. Scientists have started to research stem cells in order to reach that goal.
Stem cells do not start off with any ability, but they can evolve into any other type of cell to aid
recovery in the body.This is extremely important because other cells, such as skin cells and
muscle cells, only have one designated function. For example, the human intestine is replaced
every four days. Old, dead layers of cells are replaced by new stem cells that come in. Scientists
hope that stem cells can be used to create personalized medicine that could replace your body
parts with the exact same body parts that used to be there. Stem cells are also the key factor in
regenerative medicine. An example of this occurs in people with leukemia. Scientists have
discovered three different types of stem cells: Tissue-specific (adult), pluripotent (embryonic
stem cells), and induced pluripotent. Not only can these types of cells be used for medicine and
curing disease, but they can be used to help understand the body better.
Application to Research:
This video was a great resource to obtain information from because it was very easy to
understand. The pictures and diagrams made understanding this complex material a lot more
simple. It also stressed the importance of stem cells and the many pros that come along with
utilizing them. It also went slightly more in depth with stem cells than other articles because it
brought up how there are three different types of stem cells.

Yong, Ed. Why Fingertips Might Grow Back but Entire Limbs Wont. National
Geographic, 14 June 2013, http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2013/06/14/
why-fingertips-might-grow-back-but-entire-limbs-wont/. Accessed 7 Nov.
2016.
Summary:
If a salamander were to somehow lose a leg, they would be able to grow it back. Humans do not
have that ability, as if we lose an arm, it simply wont come back. However, what is interesting,
back in the 1970s, scientists realized that children sometimes were able to regrow a lost finger if
there was still a piece of the nail remaining and the wound was not stitched or closed. Why is the
nail so important and why is it essential to a finger if it wants to regrow? According to Nature
News, researchers at New York University, led by Mayumi Ito, discovered that there were stem
cells growing beneath the base of the nail and that can lead the regrowth of the partially lost
finger. Compared to amphibians, our regenerative abilities are pretty insignificant, but both
humans and regenerative amphibians share many features in terms of regeneration. I was
amazed by the similarities, says Ito. It suggests that we partly retain the regeneration
mechanisms that operate in amphibians. Although humans are not much closer to being able to
regenerate limbs themselves, scientists have been able to understand the required regenerative
process that every lost body part in salamanders as well as other amphibians that may regenerate
limbs must go through. For starters, after losing the limb, cells from the top layer of skin would
have to go and cover the new opening in the body. At this point in the process, humans would
just put scar tissue there and nothing else would happen. Salamanders, for example, would
receive signals telling each cell exactly what to do to remake the same limb that was lost.
Analysis to Research:
This article contributed interesting information about stem cells and an additional place where
that may be found. It also did a good job of comparing stem cells and regeneration in humans
and in animals that can actually regenerate naturally. The best thing about this article is that the
author has many other articles and journals about regeneration that may be able to also contribute
to my research.
Yong, Ed. "Will We Ever Grow Organs?" National Geographic, 28 Feb. 2012,
phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2012/02/28/will-we-ever-grow-organs/.
Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Summary:
Scientists have finally found a way to reverse times in living beings. Scientists in Spain have
found a way to force mature cells to revert to their original state in mice. They did this research
with stem cells, meaning that these cells were able to gain back their original ability of evolving
into practically any other type of cell.Prior to this experiment, scientists were only able to
achieve this in petri dishes.With their newer experiments, scientists may be able to work
completely inside of a body to regrow and heal things that were previously unhealable, such as
spinal cords or even generating healthy heart cells.
The cells reverted in the mice were even able to go back to more primitive stages than stem cells
extracted from embryos or stem cells created in labs. Shinya Yamanaka, a previous nobel prize
winner for medicine, also succeeded in reverting organs in mice back to primitive stages,
including the stomach, kidneys, the intestines, and even the pancreas. Some of these stem cells

also ended up being cancerous in the mice, showing that these more primitive stem cells were
also more powerful and duplicated at a much faster and less controllable rate. This obviously
raises a concern, because a big concern with scientists experimenting with cells is that it could
possibly lead to cancer and tumors.
Application to research:
This article was a very interesting read and gave me a lot of crucial information that related to
my research, as it showed how scientists have been able to revert stem cells, but just need to
control them when they begin to multiply again. This means that I will have to research how to
control cells and how much they multiply, as well possible causes for this phenomenon.