Tenth Annual

Joseph & Mable Meites
Lectureship Series

Stem Cells: Ethics, Ethos, and Advances

"Stem Cells with & without Embryos"

Jose Cibelli, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Professor, Departments of Physiology & Animal Science
Michigan State University

During this general presentation we will introduce some of the basic concepts in stem cell research as well as explain in simple terms the latest developments of stem cell derivation. Less emphasis will be made on differentiation potential and therapeutic treatment using these cells.

"Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Ethical & Policy Challenges"

Leonard Fleck, Ph.D.
Professor, Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences
Michigan State University

What policies should there be regarding embryonic stem cell research in a liberal pluralistic society? If some religious groups would be deeply offended by embryonic stem cell research because of the necessary destruction of embryos, is that sufficient reason to deny public funding to this research or to ban such research entirely? We will address these questions as ethical and policy issues.

Thursday
April 10th
3pm

"The Characterization of Human Adipose-Derived Stem Cells"

Jeffrey Gimble, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Stem Cell Biology Laboratory
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Louisiana State University

Dr. Gimble´s Laboratory focuses on the isolation & characterization of adult stem cells from adipose tissue and bone marrow. These stromal cells have multiple differentiation potential and are capable of forming adipocytes, chondrocytes, hematopoietic supporting cells, neuronal cells, and osteoblasts in vitro. The lab is exploring the regulatory mechanisms governing the adult stem cell´s fate and how they can be applied to regenerative medical problems.

Junying Yu, Ph.D.
Assistant Scientist, Genetics-Biotechnology Center
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Through cell-cell fusion, we have previously demonstrated that human ES cells were able to revert the fate of differentiated human somatic cells to a state of pluripotency. By screening human ES cell-enriched genes, we further identified a combination of four genes (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, LIN28), the expression of which was capable of directly restoring pluripotency in fetal, newborn and adult fibroblasts. Among these four genes, OCT4 and SOX2 appeared essential, while NANOG and LIN28 were beneficial. This finding represents a key step towards generating patient-specific pluripotent stem cells for transplantation therapies, thus overcoming the problem of immune-rejection.

Sheng Ding, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry
The Scripps Research Institute

Recent advances in stem cell biology may make possible new approaches for the treatment of a number of diseases. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that control stem cell fates as well as an improved ability to manipulate them are required. Toward these goals, the lab has developed and implemented chemical and functional genomic tools, including high throughput cell­based phenotypic screens of arrayed chemical, cDNA and RNAi libraries, genomic and proteomic profiling of homogenous undifferentiated/self-renewing or selectively differentiated cell populations under chemically defined conditions, and in-depth biochemical and functional assays in vitro and in vivo, to identify and further characterize small molecules and genes that can control stem cell fate in various systems. This talk will provide specific examples of stem cell discovery efforts in my lab that have advanced our ability and understanding toward controlling embryonic stem cell fate and reprogramming to pluripotency.