Dr Mark Williams (BIO) will be presenting a science café event at the Maddermarket Theatre.
The event entitled 'What have stem cells done for us lately?' will take place on November 17 2010 at 7.30pm in the Maddermarket Theatre Bar.
The use of stem cells in biomedical research and medicine features prominently in newspaper headlines and on television screens almost every week. Intense controversy surrounds stem cell applications from both scientific and ethical perspectives. The issues are very emotive and often sensationalised by the media. In such a rapidly advancing field, it can be difficult to keep pace with stem cell research developments and maintain an informed point of view. The aim of this talk is to provide a clear overview of stem cell science. The different types of stem cells will be defined and an insight into state-of-the-art stem cell research will be gained . By using a number of case studies, some of the most recent advances in stem cell research and their medical applications will be explained. Examples will include the creation of embryonic stem cells from adult skin, gene therapy for blood stem cells to treat anaemia, generation of a donor wind-pipe for life-saving transplantation, the prospect of replacing degenerative retinal cells with embryonic stem cells to cure blindness, and targeting cancer stem cells to prevent recurrence of tumours. These case studies will raise a number of scientific and ethical issues to fuel the ensuing discussion.
Dr Mark Williams is head of the Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory at UEA. The research team are focussed on understanding the role of stem cells in ageing and gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
The use of stem cells in biomedical research and medicine features prominently in newspaper headlines and on television screens almost every week. Intense controversy surrounds stem cell applications from both scientific and ethical perspectives. The issues are very emotive and often sensationalised by the media. In such a rapidly advancing field, it can be difficult to keep pace with stem cell research developments and maintain an informed point of view. The aim of this talk is to provide a clear overview of stem cell science. The different types of stem cells will be defined and an insight into state-of-the-art stem cell research will be gained . By using a number of case studies, some of the most recent advances in stem cell research and their medical applications will be explained. Examples will include the creation of embryonic stem cells from adult skin, gene therapy for blood stem cells to treat anaemia, generation of a donor wind-pipe for life-saving transplantation, the prospect of replacing degenerative retinal cells with embryonic stem cells to cure blindness, and targeting cancer stem cells to prevent recurrence of tumours. These case studies will raise a number of scientific and ethical issues to fuel the ensuing discussion.
Dr Mark Williams is head of the Gastrointestinal Research Laboratory at UEA. The research team are focussed on understanding the role of stem cells in ageing and gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and cancer.
