Stem Cells in the Spotlight

1. Stem Cells in the Spotlight Louisa A. Stark, Ph.D.

2. Overview • What is a Stem Cell ? • Why are we interested in stem cells? • Where do stem cells exist? • How are stem cells collected ? • Why are stem cells interesting to researchers ? • What are current and future stem cell treatments? • What support exists for stem cell research?

3. What is a Stem Cell? • The building blocks of the body • A cell whose job in the body is not yet determined • Every other cell in the body “stems” from this type of cell • A stem cell specializes into a particular cell depending upon the signals it receives

4. What is a Stem Cell? Stem Cell Guy!

5. Why Are We Interested in Stem Cells? To repair a damaged tissue that can not heal itself. • spinal cord nerve cells • diabetes (pancreas) • heart disease • blood disorders • burns • neurological disorders

6. “Adult” (developed) tissues Umbilical cord blood bone marrow Where do Stem Cells Exist?

7. Where do Stem Cells Exist? Fetus

8. Blastocyst Early embryo Developing embryo Where do Stem Cells Exist?

9. Can become Can become Can become some most all types of cells in the body types of cells in the body types of cells in the body Why are the Different Kinds of Stem Cells Interesting to Researchers? Use of some of these kinds of stem cells is controversial.

10. Bone marrow Blood How are Adult Stem Cells Collected?

11. How are Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells Collected?

12. Surplus in vitro fertilized (IVF) eggs Associated Press How are Fetal and Embryonic Stem Cells Collected? • Prematurely terminated fetuses

13. Stem Cells in the Spotlight • What is a stem cell? • Where are stem cells found? • How are stem cells collected?

14. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory • from IVF embryos • Nearly 400,000 IFV embryos are in storage in the US; almost as many are discarded each year

15. Stem Cell Lines for Federally-funded Research

16. Cell DNA Chromosomes Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory • therapeutic cloning/regenerative medicine • Our genetic material, DNA, is packaged into chromosomes. • Every cell in our body has the same genetic material

17. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory Embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning

18. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory Embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning

19. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory Embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning

20. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory Embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning

21. Creating Stem Cells in the Laboratory Embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning

22. Stem Cells in the Spotlight • Creating stem cells in the laboratory • IVF embryos • Therapeutic cloning/regenerative medicine

23. Can become Can become Can become some most all types of cells in the body types of cells in the body types of cells in the body Why are the Different Kinds of Stem Cells Interesting to Researchers? Leukemia Diabetes Spinal Cord Injuries

24. Can become SOME types of cells Stem Cell Treatments Leukemia • Disease: cancer of the blood • Symptoms: easy bruising or bleeding, fatigue • Treatments: • chemotherapy • radiation therapy • stem cell therapy • bone marrow transplant • circulating blood stem cells • umbilical cord blood stem cells

25. Can become MOST types of cells Stem Cell Treatments Diabetes • Disease: Type I, disorder of the body’s immune system against the insulin-producing islet cells in the pancreas • Symptoms: extreme thirst, frequent urination, drowsiness, vision changes; can lead to blindness, kidney or heart disease • Treatments: • insulin injections • islet transplants • stem cell therapy (experimental models) • embryonic stem cells from mice can specialize into insulin-producing cells • researchers are exploring using proteins to spur cell differentiation

26. Can become ALL types of cells dendrites axon Neuron Stem Cell Treatments Spinal Cord Injuries • Damage is irreversible in a nerve cell • Structures: dendrites and axons • Experimental treatments (model systems) • treat ESCs to mature into nerve cells before transplantation (in vitro) • directly implant and depend on signals from the brain to mature the cells • lab rats transplanted with ESCs • human ESCs transplanted into rats

27. Stem Cell Treatments Heart Disease • Adult bone marrow stem cells injected into heart arteries are believed to improve cardiac function in victims of heart attack or heart failure Rheumatoid Arthritis • In human trials, joint pain lessened temporarily after adult stem cell therapy in some patients, and some then responded better to standard drug therapy

28. Stem Cell Treatments How might cloned embryonic stem cells be used? • Exact genetic match for patient • Potential to become all types of cells • Challenge: how to direct the stem cells to specialize

29. Stem Cell Treatments How about using stem cells for cosmetics? • Fat tissue with stem cells taken from stomach or thighs • Used to create new fat cells and coax the growth of new blood vessels • Stem cells from fat could be used for repairing heart muscle, bone fractures, and other stem cell therapies • Doctors repaired a large gap in a young girl’s skull using a bone graft and fat stem cells

30. Stem Cell Treatments in the Future Could stem cells be used for organ transplants? • Choose the right type of stem cell • Coax to grow and divide • Feed with signals to differentiate • Provide a physical scaffold

31. Stem Cell Treatments in the Future Could we direct stem cells in the body to behave a certain way?

32. spinal cord injuries therapeutic cloning Early embryonicALLcells diabetes limited research resources Embryonic/fetalMOST cells leukemia possibly specialized already AdultSOME cells Stem Cells in the Spotlight SCIENCE SUMMARY • The basics of stem cells • The different types of stem cells • Current and future research and medical treatment possibilities

33. Stem Cell Legislation – May 2005 U.S. House of Representatives Passed“Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act” Vote = 238 to 194 *short of the 2/3 supermajority necessary to override a presidential veto • Bill would allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund stem cell research using embryos from fertility clinics that otherwise would be discarded • Embryos could only be used if the donors agreed and were not paid

34. In support of this legislation: Senators Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett and Rep. Jim Matheson Oppose this legislation: Reps. Rob Bishop and Chris Cannon Public Opinion Poll – Salt Lake Tribune June 8-10, 2005 • 53% of adults back “Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act” • 35% disagree with the proposal • 12% didn't know or declined to answer

35. Controversies • When does life begin? • Should surplus IVF embryos be used for research? • Is an embryo from therapeutic cloning considered a human life? • What is acceptable use of stem cell technology? Medical treatments? Cosmetic enhancements? • What do you want your tax money to fund?

36. More Information – http://gslc.genetics.utah.edu Genetic Science Learning Center Website

37. The Eccles Institute of Human Genetics University of Utah Special Thanks