Outline the steps of a treatment using stem cells.

  1. Extract embryonic stem cells from early embryos.
  2. Grow the embryonic stem cells in a laboratory.
  3. Stimulate them to differentiate into whichever type of specialised cell is required.
  4. Give them to the patient, to replace their faulty cells.

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Give 3 diseases that could be treated with stem cells, and state which type of cells would need to be replaced in each case.

  1. Sickle cell anaemia - replace the faulty red blood cells.


  1. Paralysis - replace the faulty nerve cells.


  1. Type 1 diabetes - replace the faulty pancreatic cells.

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What are the drawbacks of using embryonic stem cells in stem cell therapy?

1There is a limited supply of embryonic stem cells.


2There is a risk of rejection.


3Some people object to the use of stem cells for ethical reasons.

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Give two risks of using stem cells in medicine.

  1. The stem cells could be infected with a virus whilst in the laboratory, which could then infect the patient.


  1. As stem cells divide quickly, there is a chance they could divide uncontrollably once they've been transplanted, and then develop into a tumour.

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Outline an ethical objection that some people have towards the use of stem cells in medicine.

Some people argue that human embryos shouldn't be used for experiments since each one is a potential human life.

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Give 3 uses of plant stem cells.

  1. They can be used to produce clones of whole plants quickly and cheaply (rather than growing them from seeds).


  1. They can be used to grow more plants of a rare species (to prevent them from going extinct).


  1. They can be used to produce clones that have desired features for agriculture (for example, fast growth or disease resistance).

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