Potent Biology: Stem Cells, Cloning and Regeneration

Ahnimus

Come on you slackers!

Watch!

Lecture One
Understanding Embryonic Stem Cells
Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D.

During embryonic development, stem cells generate all the specialized cells that populate body tissues such as muscle, the nervous system, and blood. The term embryonic stem cells, or ES cells, is used by researchers for cells that can be isolated from early embryos, before they differentiate into specific types of cells. Depending on when they are isolated, embryonic stem cells are pluripotent-able to become virtually any type of cell-or multipotent-able to become many, but not all, types of cells. Because stem cells have the potential to generate fresh, healthy cells of nearly any type, there is interest in exploring their use to treat and cure various diseases. The societal controversy regarding human ES cells relates primarily to their derivation from very early embryos. In addition, certain stem cell lines are developed using a cloning technique called somatic cell nuclear transfer, which can generate cells that are an exact genetic match to a patient.

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/stemcells/lectures.html

Ahnimus

Lecture Two
Adult Stem Cells and Regeneration
Nadia Rosenthal, Ph.D.

Mature organisms have stem cells of various sorts, called adult stem cells. Adult stem cells supply cells that compensate for the loss of cells from normal cell death and turnover, such as the ever-dying cells of our skin, our blood, and the lining of our gut. They are also an essential source of cells for healing and regeneration in response to injury. Some animals, such as sea stars, newts, and flatworms, are capable of dramatic feats of regeneration, producing replacement limbs, eyes, or most of a body. It is an evolutionary puzzle why mammals have more limited powers of regeneration.

Researchers are interested in pinpointing where adult stem cells reside and in understanding how flexible adult stem cells are in their ability to produce divergent cells such as muscle and red blood cells. Understanding the sources and the rules for the differentiation of adult stem cells is essential for tapping their therapeutic potential. Since consenting adults can provide adult stem cells, some people think that adult stem cells may be a less controversial area of research than embryonic stem cells. (180 words)

Ahnimus

Lecture Three
Coaxing Embryonic Stem Cells
Douglas A. Melton, Ph.D.

There are two main approaches to using stem cells to fight human diseases: develop stem cells to produce therapeutic replacement cells and study stem cells as a model for understanding the biology of a disease. Significant progress has been made in producing stem cell lines that, for example, participate in the regeneration of damaged nervous tissue. Many human diseases, such as juvenile diabetes (type 1 diabetes), involve malfunctioning genes and environmental triggers. Usually, a specific type of cell is primarily affected by the disease, and the cellular dysfunction produces the symptoms. In juvenile diabetes, the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas are destroyed. Insulin is critical to the proper regulation of sugar by the body, and its absence causes the severe condition called diabetes. Researchers want to coax embryonic stem cells into becoming healthy insulin-producing cells. These cells might then be transplanted into people with diabetes to produce the insulin they lack. Researchers are also interested in producing stem cells that malfunction exactly like the diseased cells in order to understand fundamental aspects of the disease and also to test treatments.

Lecture 4
Stem Cells and the End of Aging
Nadia Rosenthal, Ph.D.

Human tissues vary in their ability to heal and regenerate. The nervous system has weak powers of regeneration, while the skin is quick to make new cells for repair. Mammalian muscle cells are intermediate in their ability to regenerate. Human muscle can regenerate in response to minor wounds and normal wear and tear, but humans will not grow a new bicep, for example, in response to amputation. The heart is the most important muscle in the body and yet has feeble regenerative capabilities. Research into the wholesale production of new replacement organs and limbs is in its infancy, but research into enhancing normal levels of regeneration is progressing rapidly. Recent discoveries concerning the location and characteristics of adult stem cells and the signals that wounded tissue produces to activate stem cells have increased our understanding of regeneration. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an example of an important stem cell communication molecule. If the activity of the growth factor is experimentally enhanced, muscle regeneration improves.

angelica

*yawn*

Ahnimus

angelica wrote:

*yawn*

Yea, but it sure is fun to ignorantly debate the issues, right?

angelica

Ahnimus wrote:

Yea, but it sure is fun to ignorantly debate the issues, right?

Hey, you called us slackers.

farfromglorified

Ahnimus wrote:

Yea, but it sure is fun to ignorantly debate the issues, right?

Why do you ask questions that you're best qualified to answer?

Slacker....

Ahnimus

angelica wrote:

Hey, you called us slackers.

I didn't call anyone specifically a slacker, I was calling for slackers.

farfromglorified

Ahnimus wrote:

I didn't call anyone specifically a slacker, I was calling for slackers.

Likely story, you slacker...

angelica

Ahnimus wrote:

I didn't call anyone specifically a slacker, I was calling for slackers.

okay. And don't forget, I only "ignorantly" debate issues when people don't realize my background on a subject.

Ahnimus

farfromglorified wrote:

Why do you ask questions that you're best qualified to answer?

Slacker....

If you watched the video you'd be qualified to answer some questions too, like what totipotent stem cells are, how adult stem cells can help us to regenerate limbs, what is the name of human development on day 4. etc.. etc..

Instead of... "By the grace of God thou shalt be smote!"

farfromglorified

Ahnimus wrote:

If you watched the video

Nah, I'm too much of a slacker.

Ahnimus

Yea, so, anyway, HHMI sent me a cool poster for the Potent Biology lecture. It shows the human development up to 34 weeks, and has footnotes on all the different stages. I'm gonna hang it in my cubicle at work.

Ahnimus

I want this poster!
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/museum/exhibit99/images/aids.jpg

Jeanie

Ahnimus wrote:

I want this poster!
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/museum/exhibit99/images/aids.jpg

That is a cool poster fella!

Now can you please stop taunting me with this link?

I still don't have broadband! And it's killing me!! :eek:

Ahnimus

Jeanie wrote:

That is a cool poster fella!

Now can you please stop taunting me with this link?

I still don't have broadband! And it's killing me!! :eek:

You know Jeanie. You are the only person here that would actually watch it, and you can't. Lame. The rest of the goons take broadband for granted. lol.

angelica

Ahnimus wrote:

You know Jeanie. You are the only person here that would actually watch it, and you can't. Lame. The rest of the goons take broadband for granted. lol.

I notice it's always those who can't watch these links who say that they really want to............;)

jeffbr

angelica wrote:

I notice it's always those who can't watch these links who say that they really want to............;)

I watched the first one for about 15 minutes, but honestly found Abook's Dave Chappelle link more compelling.

Ahnimus

angelica wrote:

I notice it's always those who can't watch these links who say that they really want to............;)

That's true, why did so many people watch Abooks video on "Money as Debt" but no one will watch the videos I post?

Oh right, Dan the Man watched one...

Ahnimus

jeffbr wrote:

I watched the first one for about 15 minutes, but honestly found Abook's Dave Chappelle link more compelling.

Man, I find Chappelle funny, but I find learning shit far more fullfilling. I can't watch 8 hours of Chappelle and feel like I really accomplished anything, I just feel like I wasted most of my day. With lectures at least I learn a bunch of stuff. Then I can come on here and talk into an empty sewer. :P

Jeanie

Ahnimus wrote:

You know Jeanie. You are the only person here that would actually watch it, and you can't. Lame. The rest of the goons take broadband for granted. lol.

hehe! When I FINALLY get broadband I'm gonna be a menace to society!!

I reckon they'll never tear me away from the computer! Which pretty scary considering I've been up all night on the damn thing again anyway! :eek:

I guess being able to watch these lectures is pretty important to me.

Of course being mentally challenged as I am I'll probably need to watch the damn things over and over and I'll still feel like I'm sitting at the airport!

But stem cells fascinate me, so maybe, just maybe I might actually be able to absorb some of it. Although right now as I keep nodding off at the keyboard that seems like a ridiculous notion!