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Autres Nouvelles
| Research Director Lectures on Benefits of Stem Cell Studies |
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| Cancer Stem Cell | |||
| Jeudi, 18 Octobre 2007 08:00 | |||
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There are no translations available. Click for Cancer Patient Experiences Source: The Daily Northwestern  By Aditya Kumar Dr. Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology, spoke about the controversial topic of using stem cells for research to a full house at Pancoe-ENH Abbott Auditorium on Wednesday. "I feel like we're living in the trenches," he said. Morrison was giving a lecture called "The Science & Politics of Stem Cells, Aging, and Cancer," as a part of the Silverstein Lecture Series hosted by Northwestern's Center for Genetic Medicine. The lecture series aims to inform the general public about genetics research, according to center's Web site. "This is the future of medicine," said Michael Kennedy, the center's director of educational and research programs. Stem cells are flexible cells that have the potential to fulfill various functions within the body. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic- and tissue-specific, or adult, stem cells. While embryonic stem cells have the potential to become any type of cell in the body, adult stem cells exist to repair damaged tissue and thus are more limited in their potential. "We are early in this enterprise," Morrison said. "The exciting thing about stem cell research is that it creates opportunities that wouldn't exist otherwise." The discovery of cancer stem cells, which assist in the growth of tumors, has led some scientists to pursue treatments that could potentially convert malignant, or harmful, tumors to benign ones. This is a significant departure from the previous method of shrinking a tumor and hoping that the treatment killed off the cancer, Morrison said. Morrison spoke about his work with rapamycin, a drug that seems to counter the effects of the deletion of PTEN, a gene that is often missing in cancerous growth. Though rapamycin currently is in clinical trials, Morrison said he was undeterred by the prospect of failure. "Even a 20-percent effective treatment would affect a lot of people," he said. Morrison concluded his speech with a discussion of embryonic stem cells, including how they could be used to replace defective tissue, model inherited human diseases and generate any type of human cell to test new drugs safely and more effectively. State and federal restrictions on stem cell research are particularly frustrating, Morrison said. "If we're really serious about curing disease, we should be using every weapon in our arsenal," he said. "It would be great for us if we could do everything with adult stem cells, but we can't." McCormick junior Stephen Wylie said he appreciated that Morrison made the topic accessible to people of all backgrounds. "He was really insightful," he said. "It's good to hear from a scientist who can explain his research in a way the layman can understand." Weinberg junior Tiffany Liu noted that more people should be aware of such an important issue. "I thought it was important to attend," she said. "I feel a lot of people aren't well-informed on the topic."
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| Mise à jour le Mardi, 27 Novembre 2007 04:30 |