February 1, 2002, Hour One: Stem Cell Research Update

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Hour One: Stem Cell Research Update

Earlier this month, an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences endorsed the cloning of embryos to treat disease. Congress is considering a total ban on human cloning--but are there viable alternatives to stem cells derived from human embryos?

In this hour, we'll be talking about the latest advances in stem cell research. One report says that one company has been able to clone a kidney from cow stem cells. Another says the same company can trick a monkey's egg cell into dividing to form stem cells without being fertilized by a sperm. And a third recent report talks about using bone marrow cells as a source for stem cells. Are the new findings solid? And will they change the stem cell debate?

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Guests:
Michael West
President and CEO
Advanced Cell Technology
Worcester, Massachusetts

Catherine Verfaillie
Director, Stem Cell Institute
Professor, Department of Medicine
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dan Kaufman
Researcher, Section of Hematology, Department of Medicine
University of Wisconsin Medical School
Madison, Wisconsin

Books/Articles Discussed:

"Parthenogenic Stem Cells in Nonhuman Primates," by J. B. Cibelli et al. Science, 1 Feb 2002.

"," by C. Verfaillie et al. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 1 Feb 2002.

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