Can you Donate Stem Cells?

Question

Can adults actually donate stem cells for research or whatnot? I know that in a way, embryonic stem cells are donated, but I was wondering about adult stem cells. I am doing it for a speech tomorrow, so I would appreciate any help. Thanks!

Answer 1

By the time you are an adult, most of your cells will have that sort of 'profession' and there will not be those dormant ones that you are looking for. That is where the controversy lies: If taking cells from a yet-to-be-born baby is some sort of moral wrong doing. So sorry, but there is no such thing as donating stem cells. Only the parent could volunteer there child.

Answer 2

noi dont think there is an adult stem cell

Answer 3

Both of the other answers are incorrect.  Adult stem cells are donated and used all the time.  There are several different types of adult stem cells, but I am most familur with bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells.  The bone marrow itself is stem cells and a type of white blood cell in the veins of every person is a hematopoetic stem cell.  Both of these types of cells are used in stem cell transplants which is the medically correct term for a bone marrow transplant.  This transplant is currently approved to treat leukemias, lymphomas, myleomas, several non cancerous blood diseases.  It is in trials to treat every single auto immune disease we have and is also used in conjunction with other organ transplants to give patients a chance to come off their immunosuppresion.

http://www.marrow.org is the National Marrow Donor's Program and can tell you more about this.

There are also several other types of adult stem cells that can be harvested from every tissue and organ we have, including the skin.  I just am not as educated on that to give all the info.

Answer 4

umm there's no such thing as an adult stem cell dear - that's why it's a controversy - because they come from fetuses