Stem cells: new hope for the therapy of lethal diseases?

The supply of donated organs and tissue that are used to treat diseases and disorders is far outnumbered by the need. Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the use of stem cells to treat such disorders, because these cells have a large proliferative potential while they can differentiate into every cell in the body under the appropriate stimuli. Recent reports on applications to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and myocardial infarction from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Dusseldolf have provided some evidence that autologous or homologous stem cell transplantation could one day treat lethal human diseases. In addition to these uses of stem cells, there is research evidence that stem cells can be potentially used to treat spinal cord injury, burns, osteoarthritis, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer diseases. There are, however, many controversial issues, involving ethics, science, politics, and religion, associated with stem cell research from sacrificed human embryos.