Biology Writing Sample

The microscopic disease-fighting superhero


Diseases take notice. There is a new superhero out there. But instead of wearing a cape and leaping tall buildings to fight crime, this superhero fights disease on a microscopic scale. Our new hero has the ability to change into any type of cell or tissue to combat diseases at a microscopic level. The extent of his powers is not completely known, but the potential lives he could save could easily surpass the greatest of comic book heroes.


Stem Cell Basics
Chances are you know someone with diabetes. Or Parkinson’s disease. Or heart disease. Perhaps it is someone in your family, your neighborhood, or possibly even in your class. Scientists are beginning to discover new ways to potentially fight these diseases –with the use of tiny cells found in all humans called stem cells.

Stem cells are blank cells that are able to change into other types of cells or even tissues in the body. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Each type can potentially be involved in disease prevention or treatment. Embryonic stem cells can change into any type of cell or tissue in the human body. Adult stem cells are readily available in bone marrow and can easily produce more itself.

Stem cell research has been advancing so rapidly that it is often hard to remember that human stem cells were only first identified and extracted in 1998. In late 1998 scientists from the University of Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins University isolated human stem cells from embryonic cells. Prior to this, only mouse stem cells had been identified, isolated, and manipulated.


A specific example
Parkinson’s disease is a disease of the nervous system that slowly progresses over time. On average, the disease affects 2 out of every 1000 people in the United States. This means that one person is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every nine minutes. You may be aware of some of the symptoms that Parkinson’s patients suffer from. They include trembling of the hands, tremors, and a stooped walk. This disease has gained considerable press coverage in recent years as boxer Mohammed Ali, actor Michael J. Fox, and former Attorney General Janet Reno all announced that they were suffering from the disease. Scientists now believe that stem cells may help minimize the effects of this disease, and may some day cure it.
A patient with Parkinson’s disease is lacking the chemical dopamine it their brains. Dopamine is the chemical that carries messages between nerve cells. Research using rats has shown that dopamine can actually be produced with the use of stem cells. Stem cells were taken from young rats and implanted into the brains of rats displaying similar symptoms to Parkinson’s. About 9 weeks later, the stem cells had changed into the type of cells that produce dopamine. The parts of the brain impacted by the disease began to function and blood began to flow again through that area. Our superhero strikes again! An empty stem cell had changed into a cell that was reversing the effect of the disease!
Help in the future
Human trials of this nature are still in the distant future but the potential is great. If stem cells implanted into the brain can change into the very cells needed to jump start sections that have been damaged by disease, imagine what stem cells can do in other parts of the body. Research indicates that stem cells could play a roll in finding curses for diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, leukemia, and heart disease. Some scientists also believe that stem cells may have the ability to reverse paralysis, and therefore help people like Christopher Reeve (who happened to play a superhero in the movies). Who would have thought that an empty cell could be so useful? This empty cell has the ability to change into whatever it needs to in order to fight disease. Let’s see our old comic book superheroes do that!

On Your Own
As mentioned above, scientists believe that stem cells have the potential to help treat other diseases besides Parkinson’s. Choose one of the other diseases or conditions to research further. What are the current methods of treatment and how could stem cells potentially be used to treat the condition in the future. Present your findings to the class in the form of a poster.