Using Stem Cells to Create Human Organs and Tissue

Stem cell research is one of the most interesting areas of biology today. Stem cells have two important characteristics that distinguish them from other types of cells. First, they are unspecialized cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division. The second is that under certain physiologic or experimental conditions, they can be induced to become cells with special functions, such as the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas (National Institute of Health, September 2002).
Imagine that you were told that your heart was failing due to a congenative disease that neither you nor your physician had any control of. Currently, your only option is to wait; wait for someone to have an accident who happens to be an organ donor and who is a good match for you. Today, this is a reality for some 80,000 people in the U.S. alone. Now imagine that your physician gives you the same bad news; your heart is failing, but this time your...