evandelgado Fri May 14, 2010 12:13 amStem Cell Research Takes the Spotlight at UCI
by Evan Delgado, staff writer
One of first significant stem cell research centers in Southern California opened on May 14th at the University of California Irvine (UCI) next Friday, according to higher ups at the school. The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center is a $80 million, 100,000-square compound that will delve into the possibilities of stem cell research, and is also the state's first such facility built from the ground up specifically designed for the study of stem cells, according to a news statement from UCI.
The school says stem cell therapy will give hope to millions of people worldwide who suffer from such debilitating conditions such as spinal cord injury, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The four-story, state-of-the-art building will house dozens of lab-based and clinical researchers, who will present stem cell techniques courses and graduate-level programs in biotechnology. Major changes are beginning at UC Irvine involving the study of embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to transform any of the more than 200 cells in the body and could possibly help offer healing properties for people suffering from injuries and disease. “I think that stem cell research is great. We have the minds and the abilities,” said Louis A. Ivy MD SACS, “We have been given the gift of intelligence, and we should use it.”
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which operates the state's publicly funded stem cell program, has awarded six UCI scientists $3.5 million to examine whether certain drugs slow the growth of the cells or how mutations may cause such cells to degenerate. The institute began construction in 2004 after voters passed Proposition 71 to fund human embryonic stem cell research through the sale of $3 billion in bonds. Litigation stopped distribution of the funds for more than two years, but a $150 million loan from the state launched this first wave of funding. The $3.5 million is a fraction of the $45 million that the institute provided in its first grants to investigators at 20 institutions to expand a field that is comparatively new and, so far, is not close to providing verifiable medical benefits.
Stem Cell research itself is a controversial subject. While one side believes that to engage in such scientific pursuits would contradict their religious or ethical beliefs, the other side sees it as a way to cure previously though incurable diseases. “It only stands to reason that we should pursue avenues of research that show promise. I think that it more likely than not that stem cell research is promising. I think that it would be irresponsible not to pursue it,” said Mr. Tierney, a Spanish teacher at AHS. The possible benefits of stem cell research are enormous, and most of the controversy concerning the subject comes from the process of using stem cells from deceased fetus. Freshman Andrew Sun said, “Because I'm not an expert in stem cell research, I don't really have a set opinion on whether its good or bad. It could lead humanity to treat and possibly cure a number of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimers, but at the same time media that proclaims stem cell research as a work of humans trying to be God makes me second think my stance.”
Recently though, new methods of stem cell research are beginning to appear. Perhaps through the research done at UCI, real progress will be made, and all controversies will be moved aside. The new research center is revolutionary for its time, and will be that start of an increased focus on the study of stem cells.
by Evan Delgado, staff writer
One of first significant stem cell research centers in Southern California opened on May 14th at the University of California Irvine (UCI) next Friday, according to higher ups at the school. The Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center is a $80 million, 100,000-square compound that will delve into the possibilities of stem cell research, and is also the state's first such facility built from the ground up specifically designed for the study of stem cells, according to a news statement from UCI.
The school says stem cell therapy will give hope to millions of people worldwide who suffer from such debilitating conditions such as spinal cord injury, diabetes and Alzheimer's disease. The four-story, state-of-the-art building will house dozens of lab-based and clinical researchers, who will present stem cell techniques courses and graduate-level programs in biotechnology. Major changes are beginning at UC Irvine involving the study of embryonic stem cells, which have the potential to transform any of the more than 200 cells in the body and could possibly help offer healing properties for people suffering from injuries and disease. “I think that stem cell research is great. We have the minds and the abilities,” said Louis A. Ivy MD SACS, “We have been given the gift of intelligence, and we should use it.”
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which operates the state's publicly funded stem cell program, has awarded six UCI scientists $3.5 million to examine whether certain drugs slow the growth of the cells or how mutations may cause such cells to degenerate. The institute began construction in 2004 after voters passed Proposition 71 to fund human embryonic stem cell research through the sale of $3 billion in bonds. Litigation stopped distribution of the funds for more than two years, but a $150 million loan from the state launched this first wave of funding. The $3.5 million is a fraction of the $45 million that the institute provided in its first grants to investigators at 20 institutions to expand a field that is comparatively new and, so far, is not close to providing verifiable medical benefits.
Stem Cell research itself is a controversial subject. While one side believes that to engage in such scientific pursuits would contradict their religious or ethical beliefs, the other side sees it as a way to cure previously though incurable diseases. “It only stands to reason that we should pursue avenues of research that show promise. I think that it more likely than not that stem cell research is promising. I think that it would be irresponsible not to pursue it,” said Mr. Tierney, a Spanish teacher at AHS. The possible benefits of stem cell research are enormous, and most of the controversy concerning the subject comes from the process of using stem cells from deceased fetus. Freshman Andrew Sun said, “Because I'm not an expert in stem cell research, I don't really have a set opinion on whether its good or bad. It could lead humanity to treat and possibly cure a number of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimers, but at the same time media that proclaims stem cell research as a work of humans trying to be God makes me second think my stance.”
Recently though, new methods of stem cell research are beginning to appear. Perhaps through the research done at UCI, real progress will be made, and all controversies will be moved aside. The new research center is revolutionary for its time, and will be that start of an increased focus on the study of stem cells.