Contact:Sue Pondrom(619) 543-6163[email protected]
Sept. 24, 2001
Prominent UCSD, Salk Researchers to Discuss Politics and Science of Embryonic Stem Cell Research
The volatile debate over research with human embryonic stem cells and the politics and science that surround it will be discussed by UCSD and Salk Institute researchers at a free lecture for the public October 19th on the UCSD campus in La Jolla.
Titled "Stem Cell Research: Where Science Meets Politics and Ethics," the lecture is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19 in the UCSD Price Center Theater, located at the end of Myers Drive in the UCSD administrative complex. It is presented as part of UCSD's Annual Disability Awareness Program. For more information about the lecture, call (858) 534-8010.
Topics will include human reproductive and therapeutic cloning, basic terminology used by scientists to describe the processes involved in stem cell research, descriptions of human and mouse embryonic stem cells, cell transplantation therapy for diabetes, and the legal, political and ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells, including the recent decision by President George W. Bush.
Speakers include Theodore Friedmann, M.D., director, UCSD Program in Human Gene Therapy, Muriel Jeannette Whitehill Chair in Biomedical Ethics, and professor of pediatrics; Fred H. Gage, Ph.D., professor, Laboratory of Genetics, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and UCSD professor of neurosciences; Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D., UCSD professor of cellular and molecular medicine; and Fred Levine, M.D., Ph.D., a medical genetics specialist and UCSD associate professor of pediatrics. The panel moderator is Pamela L. Mellon, Ph.D., director, UCSD Center for the Study of Reproductive Biology and Disease, and professor, reproductive medicine and neurosciences.
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Additional information regarding speakers and topics:Theodore Friedmann, M.D.Director, UCSD Program in Human Gene TherapyMuriel Jeannette Whitehill Chair in Biomedical EthicsUCSD Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Friedmann was chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Committee on Germ Line Genetic Modification, a member of the U.S. Congressional Biomedical Ethics Advisory Committee, and currently a member of the California Cloning Commission. He will discuss the recommendations of the California Cloning Commission with respect to human reproductive and "therapeutic" cloning. In addition, he will cover the lessons learned from the AAAS committee and the Cloning Commission as they relate to stem cell research.
Fred H. Gage, Ph.D.Professor, Laboratory of Genetics, The Salk Institute for Biological StudiesUCSD Professor of Neurosciences
Dr. Gage has served as a member of the Committee on Social Issues for the Society for Neurosciences and the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association, the American Paralysis Association, the Hereditary Disease Foundation, and the American Society of Gene Therapy. He is currently chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation and President-Elect of the Society for Neuroscience. Dr. Gage will discuss the basic terminology used by scientists to describe the structures and processes involved in stem cell research, the difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning, and the cloning techniques that relate to stem cell research.
Lawrence Goldstein, Ph.D.UCSD Professor of Cellular and Molecular MedicineInvestigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Dr. Goldstein's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of intracellular movement in neurons and the role of transport dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. He has utilized mouse embryonic stem cells in his work. Dr. Goldstein will provide descriptions of human and mouse embryonic stem cells and explain why researchers believe there is so much promise for their use. In addition, he will summarize the legal and political issues surrounding the use of human embryonic stem cells, including the recent decision by President George Bush.
Fred Levine, M.D., Ph.D.UCSD Associate Professor of PediatricsMember, UCSD Cancer Center
Dr. Levine is board certified by the American Board of Medical Genetics in two separate areas -- clinical genetics and clinical biochemical and molecular genetics. He is also a founding fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and a member of the American Society of Human Genetics, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Levine will discuss cell transplantation therapy for diabetes, including the limited amount of islet tissue and the potential alternative sources, such as embryonic stem cells, that could solve the problem. He will also describe his research in creating genetically engineered stem cells from adult beta cells.
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