1 March 2004
How can stem cells help cure disease?
Friday 5 March at The Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly
Stem cell research has become increasingly important in the development of new treatments for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, liver disease and Parkinson’s. On Friday 5 March, The Royal Society of Medicine in association with The Novartis Foundation and The Physiological Society will hold ‘Stem Cells: Nuclear Reprogramming and Therapeutic Applications’ at The Geological Society. The meeting, chaired by Dr John Gearhart of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will also discuss the specific importance of embryonic stem cells and ethical issues surrounding this research.
‘New possibilities’ in
the treatment of diabetes
Dr Bernat Soria, Miguel Hernandez University, Alicante,
Spain
Dr Soria will report on the progress made in the development
of insulin-producing cells derived from embryonic stem
cells. These cells, when transplanted into a diabetic animals
using a ‘cell-trapping’ system, normalises
blood glucose levels. This approach opens new possibilities
for tissue transplantation in the treatment of type 1 and
2 diabetes.
Cardiac stem cells: a possible discovery
Dr Bernardo Nadal-Ginard, New York Medical College
Dr Nadal-Ginard and colleagues have discovered a cell population
that behaves like cardiac stem cells. A single cardiac
stem cell can generate the three major cell types in the
myocardium and, when subjected to appropriate conditions,
are able to reconstitute a functional ventricular wall.
The doctors will reveal the potential importance of this
finding for heart disease patients.
The importance of embryonic stem cells
Dr Martin Evans, Cardiff University
Dr Evans and his colleagues first discovered embryonic
stem cells in their Welsh laboratory in 1981. He will discuss
the significance of mouse embryonic stem cells’ ability
to undergo genetic alteration and the implications this
has on our understanding of the relationship between these
cells and embryos.
Ethical and political issues
Dr Thomas H Murray, The Hastings Center, Garrison, NY
Dr Murray will examine the intense public debate about
the ethics involved in stem cell research and the effect
policy change has on doctors and scientists working in
the field. He will talk about the connection between the
research discussed at this meeting and attempts to clone
human beings, the political debate in both the US and UK
and the history of research ethics and policy in both countries.
The following speakers will also be making presentations:
Dr Davor Solter - What is a stem cell?
Dr Catherine Verfaillie - Mesenchymal stem cells
Dr Irving Weissman - Haematopoietic stem cells
Dr John Gurdon - Nuclear reprogramming by Xenopus oocytes
[ends]
