Stem Cells (Health and Medical Issues Today Series) » (New Edition)

Evelyn B. Kelly, Ph.D., is a writer, educator, and community activist living in Ocala, Florida. She specializes in writing about the diseases and disorders of the nervous and endocrine systems and enjoys tackling cutting edge research. Throughout her years as a writer, she has written 10 books and over 400 articles on many topics.

Every day, newspapers and television news programs present stories on the latest controversies over healthcare and medical advances, but they do not have the space to provide detailed background on the issues. Websites and weblogs provide information from activists and partisans intent on presenting their side of a story. But where can students - or even ordinary citizens - go to obtain unbiased, detailed background on the medical issues affecting their daily lives? This volume in the Health and Medical Issues Today series provides readers and researchers a balanced, in-depth introduction to the medical, scientific, legal, and cultural issues surrounding stem cells and its import in today's world of healthcare.

Series Foreword     vii
Preface     ix
Scientific Background of Stem Cells
Stem Cells 101     3
History of Stem Cells and Stem Cell Research Through the 1980s     15
Current Stem Cell Research Since 1990     25
Taking Care: Growing and Maintaining Embryonic Stem Cells     33
Hope for the Future: Diseases and Disorders of the Nervous System     47
Of Blood, Bones, and the Immune System     57
Tissue Engineering: Bones, Muscles, Skin, and Endocrine Glands     65
Ethics and Regulations
Ethics and Research in History     81
Ethics and the Brave New World     95
Religious Considerations     103
Regulatory Issues in the United States     111
Regulatory Issues in Other Countries     121
The Future of Stem Cell Research     127
References and Resources
Annotated Primary Source Documents     139
Stem Cell Timeline     181
Glossary     187
Further Reading     193
Index     199