STEM CELLS: MOVING FORWARD ROBERT DAVID LEE BIOL 1544H ELLEN TURNER

WHAT IF? YOU KNEW HOW TO REVOLUTIONIZE MEDICINE BUT COULDN’T? THAT WAS PRECISELY THE PROBLEM FACING SCIENTISTS. Dr. James A. Thomson Dr. Shinya Yamanaka Sir Martin Evans

OBJECTIVES  INCREASE AWARENESS IN THE COMMUNITY AND DISPEL CONTROVERSY.  PROVIDE AN UP TO DATE RESOURCE AND REFERENCE ON ADVANCEMENTS IN STEM CELL RESEARCH.  SHOW HOW STEM CELLS ARE ALREADY BEING USED, ESPECIALLY IN ARKANSAS.

WHAT IS A STEM CELL? STEM CELLS ARE UNDEVELOPED CELLS CAPABLE OF PROLIFERATION, SELF RENEWAL, CONVERSION TO DIFFERENTIATED CELLS, AND REGENERATING TISSUES. CELL POTENCY: PLURIPOTENT Can divide into nearly all cells of an organism. *THESE ARE THE ONES SCIENTISTS ARE AFTER. MULTIPOTENT Can divide into a number of cells, but only those of closely related families.

SUCH POTENTIAL! STEM CELLS COULD BE USED TO:  REPAIR ORGANS, EVEN BURN VICTIMS  MEND BROKEN BONES  FIGHT HEART, PARKINSON’S, AND HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE  TREAT DIABETES  SCREEN EFFECTIVE AND SAFE DRUGS  MUCH MORE!

WHERE ARE THEY FOUND? PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS 1981Mouse Embryos 1998Human Embryos 1998Fetal Gonadal Tissue 2001Cloned Embryos 2005Umbilical Cord Blood 2007Amniotic Fluid 2007Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

UMBILICAL CORD DERIVED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS THE MOST READILY ACCESSIBLE AND UNDERUTILIZED STEM CELL SOURCE  DERIVED FROM CORD BLOOD  VIA IMMUNOMAGNETIC SEPARATION A laboratory tool that isolates stem cells from cord blood  LIMITED IN NUMBER  MANY IMMEDIATE AND NON-IMMEDIATE USES

INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS REPROGRAMMING A SKIN CELL’S GENOME THROUGH RETROVIRAL TRANSDUCTION  TRANSDUCTION – the insertion of genetic material into a host cell by an RNA virus  RETROVIRUS – an RNA virus that is duplicated in a host by enzymes to synthesize DNA  Enzymes then integrate the new DNA with the host’s genome

INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS CONT. REPROGRAMMING AN ADULT CELL THROUGH ELECTROPORATION AND TRANSPOSITION  ELECTROPORATION – the external application of an electrical field to the host cell’s plasma membrane, which increases its permeability  TRANSPOSITION – DNA sequences transposing themselves within a host cell’s genome, thereby reprogramming the cell  The enzyme transposase is introduced along with plasmids through electroporation, and then induces transposition, which incorporates the plasmids into the existing DNA MORE

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

FEDERAL FUNDING vs. REGULATION EMBRYONIC REGULATIONS 1973Roe v. Wade 1974National Research Act 1975Research on the Fetus 1979In Vitro Fertilization 1993National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act 1996Dickey Amendment 2001 Fact Sheet 2005Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Vetoed 2007Executive Order Executive Order 13505

 In 2003, the Arkansas State Legislature effectively banned embryonic stem cell research.  Four years later, the Arkansas State Legislature unanimously approved the New Born Umbilical Cord Initiative Act.New Born Umbilical Cord Initiative Act “This Act allowed for the establishment of the Cord Blood Bank of Arkansas, which is keeping Arkansas on the front edge of medical development by authorizing the collection, storage, and research of cells from umbilical cord blood following the birth of healthy children.” -CBBA WEBSITECBBA WEBSITE STATE FUNDING vs. REGULATION

CORD BLOOD BANK OF ARKANSAS  PUBLIC BANKING Used immediately for non-donor recipients, and In researching more effective future uses. Cost-effective source of stem cells!  PRIVATE BANKING Stored indefinitely for paying customers. Source of revenue for the blood bank. “No one else in the country has a statewide bank.” -Dr. Michele Fox Director of stem-cell therapy at UAMS

HARVESTING CORD BLOOD  The obstetrician performs the procedure.  Minimum 85cc per unit / 100cc is desirable.  Sent to Life Force Cryo Banks in Florida for evaluation.  If a success, the unit is sent bank to UAMS and stored in a cryogenic tank.  If a failure, the unit is used for research.

THE TANKS