Harvard Stem Cell Institute Hosts Inaugural Symposia

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Harvard Stem Cell Institute Hosts Inaugural Symposia

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/04.22/99-StemRelease.html

Stem cell videos:

# Dr. Melton researches stem cells

# Dr. Scadden prescribes stem cell therapy

# HSCI hopes to accelerate research

# Dr. Scadden on embryonic stem cells

[default format for video is RealPlayer. For videos in Quicktime

format, visit http://www.harvard.edu/multimedia/]

- More stories about stem cells

- Harvard Alumni Association videoconference on stem cells, " Unlocking

the promise of stem cells "

Seven Harvard schools, seven Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals,

and close to 100 researchers and scientists are banding together in an

ambitious new institute with a simple goal: to explore the promising

area of stem cell research.

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute holds its inaugural symposia today

comprised of a day-long series of presentations for the Harvard

community that will explore topics ranging from the science to the

ethics to the business of stem cell research.

" The Harvard Stem Cell Institute is an important effort to help unlock

one of the fundamental mysteries of life, and could lead to important

new medical treatments, " said Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers.

Stem cells, with their ability to develop into specialized tissue

cells, have excited researchers with their promise to help correct

maladies within the body. By understanding how they work, researchers

hope they can learn to develop nerve, blood, heart, and other kinds of

cells to be used to treat a wide spectrum of diseases.

Organizers of the effort hope that the Institute's stimulating effect

will extend beyond Harvard, as new techniques, tools, and knowledge

foster research in other locations. The Institute's co-director,

Melton, has already taken the first steps in that direction.

He announced in March that he had developed 17 new embryonic stem cell

lines with private funding and that he would share those cells freely

with other investigators.

In its initial phase, the Institute will be a " virtual " center,

supporting research and drawing scientists together who work in

laboratories at the affiliated institutions around Boston and

Cambridge. Researchers will develop core laboratory facilities and

needed technology to perform functions such as cell sorting, imaging

of stem cells in their natural environments, and the transfer of

nuclei between cells. The institute will also seek to create a

community among researchers through frequent informal gatherings

focused on a particular scientific problem, through monthly seminars

with outside experts, and through annual symposia, such as today's.

Within a few years, Harvard hopes to add a central physical location

for the institute, complete with laboratory facilities, but does not

have specific plans at this point in time. Though some researchers

would continue to work in their own labs at different locations, the

physical closeness enabled by a central lab facility should allow

informal meetings and foster an environment that will lead to new

ideas and lines of inquiry.

In overseeing the work of the Institute, the Harvard Stem Cell

Research Committee is charged with reviewing proposals by Harvard

scientists - including those at the new institute - to work on human

embryonic stem cells that do not qualify for federal funding.

The committee is made up of faculty from several schools, including

the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School, the Harvard

School of Public Health, and the F. Kennedy School of Government.

It is advisory to the provost.

" Some of Harvard's most distinguished scientists serve on the Harvard

Stem Cell Research Committee in order to provide a rigorous review of

the ethics surrounding human embryonic stem cell research, " said

Harvard Provost Hyman. " The committee's review and

recommendations ensure that human embryonic stem cell research at

Harvard is conducted according to the highest ethical standards. "

BACKGROUND:

Background materials on the science, ethics and funding of stem cell

research can be found at

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2004/04.22/99-StemOver.html. There

also are multi-media presentations on the science and importance of

the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

The Diseases:

The Harvard Stem Cell Institute is focused on five disease types for

which stem cell therapy seems most promising. The diseases all result

from some sort of organ or tissue failure and include:

o diabetes, in which insulin producing cells in the pancreas

are destroyed, impairing the body's ability to metabolize sugar;

o neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease,

which destroys neurons in the brain;

o blood diseases, including leukemia where abnormal blood

cells are produced, and immune system diseases such as AIDS;

o cardiovascular disease, where heart muscle tissue is

destroyed during heart attacks;

o musculoskeletal diseases, such as muscular dystrophy.

The Details to Date:

# Educational Web site: www.stemcell.harvard.edu to be launched in

late spring

# Seven Harvard-affiliated hospitals: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical

Center, Brigham & Women's Hospital, The Children's Hospital,

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Joslin Diabetes Center, Massachusetts

General Hospital, McLean Hospital

# 25 principal investigators to date, 100 researchers currently

involved

# 12 inter-lab science seminars per year