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Stem cell research has been an interesting topic in science since the day they were first discovered almost two decades ago. According to Chad Cohen, reporting for PBS, defines embryonic stem cells as, “pluripotent, meaning they can grow into just about any cell in the body”. When first discovered, these pluripotent stem cells were thought to be capable of curing multiple diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia, Parkinson’s, ALS and even diabetes. The two natural types of stem cells, adult and embryonic, differ in the way that embryonic stem cells are much more capable of becoming almost any cell in the body. This is known as totipotency, where this cell is capable of replicating any cell in the body. The big difference between these types of cells is what they are capable of, as adult stem cells are more difficult to grow after isolation from the human body and embryonic stem cells are significantly easier. This is what creates the drama with stem cells, as the only way in which to retrieve these cells is through human embryos, from the time right after sperm and egg meet. This is the biggest problem that has slowed down the further use and development of stem cell research and up until a Physician, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, discovered he could turn back the genetic clock on adult stem cells to create cells identical to embryonic ones: he named these cells, “Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells”. These Pluripotent Stem Cells are generally indistinguishable to the embryonic stem cells, making this discovery one that could have massive implications on the way we as humans continue to treat disease. Sickle Cell Anemia is a painful disease that drives the research behind stem cells because within these patients with this genetic disorder the red blood cells are an odd crescent shape rather than the normal disc shape, making everyday life excruciatingly painful. The same can

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