Shinya Yamanaka Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine
I read the article Shinya Yamanaka Wins 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine. This article was a bout how biologist Shinya Yamanaka received the Nobel Prize for his strides in stem cell research. Yamanaka discovered that you could change adult skin cells into cells that behave like embryonic stem cells. Yamanaka‘s research showed that by adding four genes into adult skin cells in mice, he could induce the cells to become like embryonic stem cells. Later, Yamanaka found that he could successfully modify human cells into embryonic ones. These cells are now known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells.
This is an amazing breakthrough for the scientific community as well as the world. Embryonic stem cell research has been a controversial topic for years. However this discovery is a win for both sides since it enables doctors and scientist to find new ways in helping patients without harming human embryos. The author states, “Tremendous promise for regenerative medicine, in which damaged organs and tissues can be replaced or repaired. Many in the science community consider the use of stem cells to be key to the future treatment and eradication of a number of diseases, such as diabetes, blindness and Parkinson's disease.” The discover has already lead to creation of a human model of Huntington's disease from the skin cells of patients with the disease and the use of a single genetic factor to transform skin cells into cells that develop on their own into an interconnected, functional network of brain cells. Both announcements offer new hope in the fight against neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington’s disease.
Over all I thought this article was well written and was easy to understand. The author did a nice job presenting all the benefits to society this find will make. The article was very clear and straightforward. I think the article was very interesting and gives us a glimpse into what medicine will be like in the future
5 comments:
After reading Alina’s current events article summary I can say that she did an excellent job. For one, the topic she chose, about stem cell research, was a very complex thing, but she explained it in a way that was easy to understand. I also loved how she included a quote from the author of the article because you can see the authors opinion and view. A third thing I liked about her review was that she stated that the study can help fight against Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease because it showed that the study had a practical use.
One thing I think Alina could have improved on was tell the reader what an embryonic cell is. It wasn’t a major flaw but it was enough to confuse me a little. A second thing she could have improved on was giving the name of the author. Before she gave the quote she just says, “the author states”. Again this is a very small thing.
One thing that I learned from her review is that the future of medicine will be very bright, and deadly diseases can be stopped using this science.
Alina did a very good job in her summary of this article. I liked her introductory paragraph that summarized the article, it allowed for me to receive a good grasp of the essence of the article before she dove into her analysis. I also liked how she incorporated a quote into this article, it gave a taste for the articles actual point of view and related to her argument at the same time. A third thing that I liked about this article was how she related the article to the outside world instead of just summarizing. She mentions how this article gives a glimpse of what medicine will be like in the future.
There were only a few small things that I thought could have improved this review. I didn’t like how her first paragraph was in a different format than the rest of the article, it didn’t have an impact on the information, I just didn’t like how it looked. Also I felt her description of embryos was a little brief and made the review slightly confusing.
One thing I learned after reading this review was there is hope to find cures to diseases that we had previously thought to be incurable and that is good news for everyone.
-Matt James
I thought Alina did a very good job in relating this study to diseases that most people know about. Most people have heard about Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. It is a very confusing topic to understand and it was very helpful of her to put it into perspective. I also thought Alina did a good job in explaining what Shinya Yamanaka did in his research. She told us that the cells he inserted in mice could be made into embryonic cells. Lastly, Alina had a nice touch when she added her opinion about this article and her observations about looking toward this for future medicine.
I thought this article sounded very interesting and I wish Alina had put the link on her review. I would have really liked to read it. Also, I was a little confused as to why she explained what Yamanaka did in a very complicated manner. I thought it would have been clearer if she just said they were stem cells to begin with instead of making it sound really complicated and then just stating that they are now known as stem cells.
I was really impressed by the fact that we have come this far in medical technology and science. Many diseases, which we thought were incurable, now have to possibility of being cured. It will a while before anything really gets solved but it is one step closer than before. With all the new things scientists keep on learning, it wont be long before we have cures.
After reading Alina's summary, I felt informed, satisfied, and excited for the possibilities that this recent breakthrough brings. I really liked how she included the effects of the breakthrough on specific diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. I think that, by providing these specific examples, she made the summary much clearer as many people are familiar with these diseases and can see the effects of the skin cells plainly. I also liked how Alina gave some of Yamanaka's process of discovery, which provided us with insightful background, like how he did research that "showed that by adding four genes into adult skin cells in mice, he could induce the cells to cells to become like embryonic stem cells." I felt that this was where Alina went above and beyond. I also liked how she included the human model of Huntington's as well as the article about skin cells turned into brain cells. These, also, proved she went above and beyond.
I felt that Alina could have described maybe one specific test or instance where the cells had worked, if there was one to be found. I think that would have given the reader a little something extra and would have helped them understand it further. I also felt that Alina could have gave a little bit of background (perhaps a brief two sentences) on who Shinya Yamanaka is, and maybe how long he has been working at this project, just to establish his level of affiliation and dedication to the project.
I learned that these skin cells can be used for a variety of ailments, whether it be Alzheimers, diabetes, blindness, or Parkinson's. I found this extremely incredible and exciting that the strides we are making in modern science and medicine will help countless people and families for generations to come. Overall, I felt Alina did a great job and was very informative.
I read the Article Review by Alina. Overall I liked this article and review. I found this very interesting after going to Ms. Davies science speech about cells and cancer. I liked how they described what they had for research before and what they have after he made his research. I liked how they made it easy for us to understand. I would have liked to know more about the research thought the years and know how it has evolved. I also would have liked it to be a bit longer because I really liked it. Overall I found this shocking how people could actually do this and I really liked it.
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