
The State of Stem Cells: Unraveling the Science and the Controversy
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
Presented By
Presented by the New York Stem Cell Foundation, 92nd Street Y, and the New York Academy of Sciences.
Speakers: Harold Varmus, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Zach Hall, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM); Chuck Close, artist and stem cell advocate; and Susan L. Solomon, New York Stem Cell Foundation
Moderator: Kurt Andersen, National Public Radio
Scientists and patients claim that embryonic stem cell research, with its promise of cures for debilitating diseases, is science's next revolution. However, conservative politicians and religious groups call this research unethical and are fighting in Congress to have it criminalized. What exactly are embryonic stem cells and why does their potential to become any cell type in the body have the global scientific community abuzz? Just what is at stake in this debate for the millions of people living with chronic conditions like diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and spinal cord damage?
Join novelist, columnist and host of public radio's "Studio 360" host Kurt Andersen as he moderates a discussion with Harold Varmus, president of Memorial Sloan Kettering and former head of the National Institutes of Health; Zach Hall, President of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM); Chuck Close, renowned artist and stem cell advocate; and Susan L. Solomon, co-founder and CEO of the New York Stem Cell Foundation.