Last night, biology Professor Susan Ernst spoke to an audience in Barnum Hall about stem cell research in an event sponsored by the Tufts branch of the Student Society for Stem Cell Research.
"It's just amazing what has been learned in the last few years," she said of the recent advances that sparked much of the discussion.
She went on to classify stem cells in three categories: adult stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells and embryonic stem cells, admitting that the distinctions are often complicated.
Adult stem cell research, she said, has been going on for decades. "Adult stem cell therapy is not new. Those therapies started around the 1960s, and tens of thousands of lives are saved every year in the United States by bone marrow transplants," she said.
Although stem cell research can potentially help millions of people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, Parkinson's disease, cancer and many other conditions, Ernst spoke about several obstacles that have impeded progress. She also mentioned many of the recent potential solutions to these problems.
Adult stem cells are very hard to come by, she said, and scientists have been looking for more sources throughout the body, with some success. "It looks like fat cells may have a stem cell population," she said.
Stem cells also cannot divide indefinitely, which can lead to problems. "They may be very good for part of the lifetime, but not all of the lifetime," she said.
With embryonic stem cells, the catch is to stop cells from differentiating. "The embryonic stem cells want to differentiate. Basically what you have to do is keep them from differentiating," Ernst said.
With both types, patient rejection is always a potential problem. There is a way to prevent the rejection of embryonic stem cells involving the use of a fertilized egg, but many have ethical problems with the treatment.
"This fertilized egg at this stage, if you did not go through this [procedure] ... could produce a human body," she said.
Although ethical considerations were not the focus of the discussion, they did crop up at times.
"I think it is important that as scientists and as citizens that we educate ourselves about [ethical issues]," she said at the beginning of her presentation.
Later, at the prodding of questions by students, Ernst went further into the ethical debate.
Though she is against reproductive cloning, she said that she supports much of the current research done on embryos from fertility clinics that would be discarded if not used for research.
Ernst thinks that this support for some degree of research is fairly widespread. "If you were to take a vote across the country ... the majority would be in favor."
Still, a major obstacle has been funding. President George W. Bush has allowed only a very limited amount of government-funded research, and most research has been privately funded.
"I think at least for the next two years, there will not be federal funding for stem cell research," she said.
Several states, such as California and Connecticut have given public funding to research, and others, such as Massachusetts, have given support without funding.
"There's a lot of potential out there" but "still a lot of challenges," Ernst said.
The lecture was the first event for the Tufts branch of the Student Society for Stem Cell Research since it received recognition from the Tufts Community Union Senate last month.
According to sophomore Katie Reiser, who is an officer in the society, the group seeks to educate people about stem cell research.
"A lot of people don't really understand what's going on behind the politics of stem cell research and it's hard to make an educated decision if you don't know what they're talking about," she said.
