Stem cell harvesting is considered to be the latest revolution in the field of medical technology. It is considered of having the potential to change the treatment of human diseases and reduce the suffering people face when they have a disease. But like everything else, stem cell harvesting also has certain disadvantages to it. Let’s take a look at them.

Adults have very few stem cells

The number of cells that adults have is very few and hence, the treatment options that are available for adult stem cells without reprogramming are few. Despite residing in many different areas of the body, they are isolated from tissue samples and their current source is unknown. Separating them is a time-consuming and costly process and self-renewal within the body may be slow to occur.

Current embryonic stem cell harvesting requires the death of an embryo.

As compared to adult stem cells, harvesting embryonic stem cells and germ cells may offer numerous research advantages. But current methods of harvesting require the death of the embryo. Measured at 2 years, embryonic stem cells also have limited self-renewals and germ cells can double a maximum of up to 80 times, limiting the research potential of any existing line.

While the future potential of these treatments continues to inspire hope for many, the proven benefits of stem cell research are somewhat limited according to current science. The ethical questions may begin to fade as the processes to develop adult stem cells into programmable cells. Each key point must be considered before a final conclusion can be reached until then.