Newswise — Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards' comments yesterday on the potential of human embryonic stem cell research to develop treatments for spinal cord injuries, and the likelihood that stem cell policy will be hotly debated between the presidential candidates tonight has stem cell research in the media spotlight. Two stem cell experts at the University of Michigan Medical School are available today and tomorrow to discuss human embryonic stem cell research and what the future promises with or without additional federal support. These scientists will take a realistic, non-partisan approach as they discuss the value of future research and the sources of human embryonic stem cell lines. Our experts are:
Douglas Engel, Ph.D., chair and professor of cell and developmental biology, and director of the Center for Organogenesis, an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the study of how tissues and organs form and are maintained during embryonic development. The Center's goal is to use this knowledge to create artificial organs, stem cell therapies or organ transplantation systems to correct genetic and acquired diseases.
Sue O'Shea, Ph.D., professor of cell and developmental biology, who heads the Michigan Center for hES Cell Research, which provides pilot grants for U-M Medical School faculty who are interested in working with one or more of the NIH-approved human embryonic stem cell lines. Now in its second year, it is one of the first three national centers selected by the NIH to receive three-year grants, although there are likely to be more in the future as NIH continues to encourage researchers to use the cell lines that can receive government funding.
The University of Michigan has satellite capabilities.
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