In the first article from JSTOR, "Stem Cell Research in China", most stem cell research there is done in bone marrow transplants and embryonic stem cells. Most countries don't allow for embryonic stem cell research but China is one of the few that do. It's government provides the funds needed for this research and even allows commercial buying and selling of embryos for research. China has the most liberal environment for stem cell research. Many clinical studies in China have shown success in stem cell use for acute heart and liver failure and more advances are being made all the time.
In the second article from the Electronic Journal Center, "Directing human embryonic stem cell differentiation by non-viral delivery of siRNA in 3D culture", states that human embryonic stem cells have great potential as a resource for regenerative medicine. The article says that in order to achieve this, control of how the stem cells respond to different uses and where the cells are needed is done through using different genetic signals. Not all of the different ways to control stem cells have been discovered yet because there are so many different nucleic acids and genes to manipulate and stem cells react to different combinations. The article explains many ways to control stem cells and research is continuing in this field.
Works Cited
Liao, Li, and Robert Chunhua Zhao. "Stem Cell Research in China." Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B 5 Mar. 2011: 1107-1112. JSTOR. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.
Zoldan, Lytton-Jean, Karagiannis, Deiorio-Haggar, Bellan, Langer, and Daniel G. Anderson. "Directing human embryonic stem cell differentiation by non-viral delivery of siRNA in 3D culture." Biomaterials 2011: 7793-7800. Quick Search. Web. 23 Oct. 2011.
Brigitte--This makes for an interesting contrast. The public seems to be having a lively debate about the issue; the journals seem to indicate that we don't understand enough about the process yet to have a moral debate about it!
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