Free lecture on embryonic stem cell research

TheSpec.com - Local - Free lecture on embryonic stem cell research

Wade Hemsworth
The Hamilton Spectator

(Jan 24, 2009)

The world is about to get its first idea of how well stem cells from human embryos can heal injuries in people.

A California company has received U.S. government approval for an experiment that will test whether injecting cells made from embryonic stem cells directly into human patients is safe, and if such cells can restore feeling or movement in patients with spinal cord injuries.

Geron Corp. announced the Food and Drug Administration's approval yesterday. The experiment will mark the first time embryonic stem cells are to be tested on human subjects, in this case eight to 10 injured patients who are to receive the cells starting this summer.

The outcome could be critical to the emerging, competitive and rapidly growing field of stem cell research, said Mick Bhatia, scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, who plans to follow the results carefully.

"I think everyone is anxiously waiting to see what these cells can do," he said. "I don't expect these people to be walking around cured from the injury, but showing any benefit would be huge for the patients, and certainly for the field."

Stem cells, capable of becoming any type of human tissue, could hold the key to complex medical problems, including cancer.

Though the timing of the experiment's approval is believed to be coincidental, the general climate for stem cell research is expected to become more open under the administration of Barack Obama, whose inauguration speech Tuesday promised to "restore science to its rightful place." Obama is expected to reverse funding restrictions on stem cell research imposed by the Bush administration.

By now, Bhatia explained, the controversy over using embryonic stem cells has diminished, in part because scientists have been able to get useful stem cells from skin.

Bhatia will be giving a free public lecture Tuesday night, when he is hoping to explain and demystify stem cell science, a promising field in which he and his McMaster colleagues are considered international leaders.

Bhatia's Science in the City lecture starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday in The Hamilton Spectator auditorium, 44 Frid St.,[Hamilton, Ontario] with doors opening at 6:30. Admission is free, but guests are asked to reserve seats by e-mailing sciencecity@mcmaster.ca or by calling905-525-9140, ext. 24934.

whemsworth@thespec.com