Why do many believe that stem cell research is important for medical research?
Many scientists believe that stem cells hold much promise for treating patients with serious diseases because stem cells might be "programmed" or coaxed into becoming many different kinds of tissues in the body. So in theory, for example, if scientists could discover how to program stem cells to become spinal cord tissue, then stem cells could be prepared and injected into patients with spinal cord injuries and the stem cells could effect a repair of the damaged area.
