Stem Cells: The Holy Grail of Medical Research

Few scientific issues in recent years have managed to draw as much attention, both scientific and otherwise, than stem cell research. I was first introduced to the term ‘stem cells’ when I was in high school, and since then, I have had a keen interest in the direction science is taking them. When considering medical research as a whole, stem cells appear to have the makings of a 21st century medical revolution a la discovery of antibiotics . The open-ended nature of stems cells has been recognized by many in the community who see these cells as the golden key for curing and ameliorating many degenerative diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, and heart disease, as well as accidental damage such as a spinal cord injury. Clearly, stem cells hold a great deal of promise in medical research and I feel that being more than casually aware of something that will greatly affect health care and my future studies if I chose to pursue medical research in