2008 Woodie Awards
Researcher informs students on stem cell projects
Aaron Stein-Chester
Issue date: 9/19/07 Section: News
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Lasting a little over an hour and a half, Hofstadter lectured on the basics of stem cells: their function, their controversial history on the political stage, and the progress that her center and the greater scientific community are making.
Reeve-Irvine Center's research focuses on a broad gamut of topics in the stem cell field, from basic questions about their biological function to specific therapeutic applications.
"This is an extremely new field," said Hofstadter. "It's only about ten years old, yet the progress that we have made is remarkable."
Her talk covered the two main varieties of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells.
Two main qualities define stem cells: their ability to become different types of cells, a liver or heart cell for example, (called "differentiation") and their ability to continue dividing without becoming a particular cell (called "potency").
Embryonic stem cells come from an early human embryo called a blastocyst, a mass of 50-150 cells that forms four-to-five days after conception. Each blastocyst used in research represents a "line," a family of stem cells from this original ball of cells.
Adult stem cells are found throughout the body of a developed adult that, like embryonic stem cells, are able to differentiate. They repair damaged tissues and revive dying cells.
One student interrupted Hofstadter's explanation of embryonic stems cells and posed a question as to how ethical this practice was.
Many believe that using human embryonic cells is unethical because they can no longer develop into human no babies.
Hofstadter pointed out that that the embryonic stem cells used in scientific research are ones that fertility clinics discard. "These cells weren't going to be used anyway," she said, "so I believe that it's unethical not to use them for research."
Not only are people concerned about destroying the potential for human life, but stem cell research is often intertwined with human research is often intertwined with human cloning.
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