By Masudur Rahman

Senior Reporter

Hundreds of researchers, professors, students and the general public attended the First Midwest Conference on Stem Cell Biology and Therapy last Friday and Saturday.

The conference brought together researchers and clinicians from all over the U.S. and around the world to share the latest developments in stem cell research.

Jointly sponsored by Oakland University and Beaumont Hospitals in cooperation with St. John Providence Hospital, seemed to have come at an opportune time for proponents of stem cell research. The Stem Cell Research Ballot Question Committee, directed by Mark Burton, is trying to gather signatures to get a petition on the ballot that would overturn a Michigan law that restricts researchers from deriving their own stem cell lines from human embryos.

Michigan Senator Carl Levin supported this campaign in the keynote speech he gave on Friday evening, at the opening session of the conference.

“Stem cell research is promising, and embryonic stem cell research is the most promising type, and it is this type that is prohibited in Michigan,” Levin said. “There is no guarantee that stem cell research will find cures for diseases, but there is great potential for it.”

Human embryonic stem cell research is controversial, as it requires the embryo to be destroyed. But Levin contended that even people opposed to embryo destruction should be in support of this campaign because the only embryos that are on the petition are the ones that will be destroyed by the fertility clinics, even if they weren’t used for research.

“If they’re going to be destroyed anyway, why not give them a life-giving purpose?” Levin asked.

G. Rasul Chaudhry, Chair of the Organization Committee of the conference and a professor of biological sciences at OU, said that he hoped this conference helped to clear up misconceptions held by the public of stem cell research.

“The conference provided an excellent opportunity to showcase Oakland University, its research facilities, and its talented faculty to leaders in stem cell research,” Chaudhry said. “The conference was a tremendous success and brought a greater visibility to Oakland University, as well as to southeast Michigan.”

On Saturday, there were two separate sessions going on at the same time in the Oakland Center Banquet Rooms. In the Biology sessions, presenters shared the latest general research done on stem cells and in the Therapy sessions, presenters shared the latest methods of clinical applications derived from stem cell research.

There was also a panel on ethics surrounding stem cell research and its political implications on Saturday. One of the panelists, Christine Gorka of Providence Hospital, spoke about several of the dilemmas and prejudices surrounding stem cell research. She said that wealthy people are much more likely to benefit from stem cell research, as the stem cell therapy technology is fairly new and very expensive.

Gorka also said that is because scientists are less likely to research ailments that are present in only minority populations like Native Americans, because it would be too expensive. “This strategy leaves ethnic minorities behind and perpetuates inequities,” she said.

Andras Nagy of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, gave a keynote speech about his work in mouse genetics. He said that he worked mostly with mouse developmental genetics so far and that he recently moved on to human embryonics. “Our understanding of mouse stem cells is being fed into human stem cell applications,” he said.

Nagy agreed with the enthusiasm of other attendee, saying, “it was nice to see the local enthusiasm and the progress shown by the speakers.”

Nicholas Collins, an OU freshman, said, “this was a great experience for me, especially watching these professionals asking questions and exchanging ideas. I think that it will help spawn the progression of stem cell research greatly.”