Stem Cells for Dummies (ISBN - 0470259280)

387 Pages·2021·5.35 MB·English

Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD
Director, University of California, San Diego,
Stem Cell Initiative
Meg Schneider
Award-winning journalist

Learn to:
• Sort through straight, unbiased facts about
the stem cell debate

• Understand what stem cells are and how
they work

• Appreciate how stem cells are used in
research and treatment

• Look to the future to what’s in store for
stem cell research

Stem Cells

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• The current laws and policies

• Ethical, religious, and moral
considerations

• How stem cells are being used
to understand and treat specific
diseases

• Safety issues associated with
stem cells

• The pros and cons of current
treatments

• Promising leads for spinal cord
injuries

• Uses for hybrid, chimera, clone,
and cybrid cells

• How stem cell banking works

Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD, one of the world’s foremost experts in
stem cell research, is Director of the Stem Cell Initiative at the University of
California, San Diego. Meg Schneider is the author or coauthor of several
books, including COPD For Dummies.

$21.99 US / $25.99 CN / £14.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-25928-3

Science/Biology

Go to Dummies.com®

for videos, step-by-step examples,
how-to articles, or to shop!

A balanced, plain-English guide
to this politically charged topic

This friendly, practical guide cuts away the hype and clearly
presents the facts on stem cells. It explains what stem cells
are and what they do, the legalities of harvesting them and
using them in research, the latest research findings from
the United States and abroad, and the prospects for medi-
cal stem cell therapies in the short and long term.

• Brushing up on biology — understand the basics of cells and tis-
sues and take a guided tour of the history of stem cell research

• Delving into stem cell science — get easy-to-follow explanations
of embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and sources of stem
cells

• Where we are now — dig into the current practices in stem cell
treatments, trials, and transplants

• The possibilities are endless — discover how stem cells are
projected to make medical advances in the understanding and
improved treatment of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more

• Understanding the debate — explore the ethical, religious,
philosophical, and moral questions related to stem cell research
and get armed with the knowledge needed to take an informed
stance

Stem Cells

Goldstein
Schneider

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by Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD,
and Meg Schneider

Stem Cells

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

Stem Cells For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942438

ISBN: 978-0-470-25928-3

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the Authors

Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, PhD: Larry Goldstein, director of the University of
California–San Diego Stem Cell Program, is one of the United States’ foremost
experts in stem cell research. He has studied genetics and cellular develop-
ment for 35 years and has an active laboratory research program studying
Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease and possible uses of embryonic stem
cells and their derivatives in treating these diseases. He has played an active
role in national science policy, having served on many public scientifi c advi-
sory committees. He has testifi ed on a number of occasions before the U.S.
House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate about National Institutes of
Health funding and stem cell research. He also served as co-chair of the sci-
entifi c advisory committee to the campaign for the Proposition 71 stem cell
research initiative, which authorized $3 billion in tax-free state bonds to fund
stem cell research in California over 10 years. As a cofounder and consultant
of the biotechnology company Cytokinetics, he also has had an active role
in private industry, where he has gained experience in translating scientifi c
insights into new therapeutic approaches.

In addition to the directorship of the Stem Cell Program, Larry is Professor
of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine and an
Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Before moving to
UCSD, he was assistant, associate, and full professor at Harvard University’s
Department of Cellular and Developmental Biology.

He received his B.A. degree in biology and genetics from UCSD in 1976 and
his PhD degree in genetics from the University of Washington, Seattle, in
1980. He did postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado at Boulder
and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

His awards include a Senior Scholar Award from the Ellison Medical
Foundation, an American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award, the Loeb
Chair in Natural Sciences when he was at Harvard University, election to the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the 2009 Public Service Award
from the American Society for Cell Biology.

Meg Schneider: Meg Schneider is an award-winning writer who has
authored or coauthored ten books, including Making Millions For Dummies
(Wiley), Budget Weddings For Dummies (Wiley), New York Yesterday & Today
(Voyageur), and The Good-For-You Marriage (Adams Media).

Meg’s journalism honors include awards from the Iowa Associated Press
Managing Editors, the Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association, the New
York State Associated Press, and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.

A native of Iowa, Meg now lives in upstate New York.

Dedication

Larry dedicates this book to the many people who need the insights and
therapies that scientifi c and medical research aim to fi nd.

Meg dedicates this book to Marjorie Boeger, who thinks Meg is smarter than
she really is, and whose guts and gusto are an eternal inspiration.

Authors’ Acknowledgments

Although our names appear on the cover, we can’t claim sole credit for this
book. Publishing is a team sport. Those who think they played but a minor
role did more heavy lifting than they realize, and we would be remiss if we
didn’t give them a shout-out for their contributions.

We offer our thanks and appreciation to the following people:

The folks at Wiley, for recognizing the importance of arming readers with
accurate, plain-English information about stem cells and for supporting this
book to fi ll that need.

Our editors, Michael Lewis and Kelly Ewing, for their vision, patience, and
dedication.

Our agent, Barb Doyen, for bringing us together on this project and acting as
business partner, cheerleader, coach, and friend.

Mark Dixon, for (once again) standing at the ready throughout the process,
administering support, comfort, and ice cream as needed.

Connie Holm, for advice, support, and inexhaustible patience.

Our friends and colleagues Juan Carlos Izpisua-Belmonte, Paul Berg, Sylvia
Evans, Fred “Rusty” Gage, Catriona Jamieson, Lynda Heaney, Olle Lindvall,
Sean Morrison, Jim Spudich, Kevin Wilson, and Laurie Zoloth, who pro-
vided vital encouragement to undertake and complete this project and who
helped immensely with advice and input about science, ethics, medicine,
law, business, regulation, and policy, and ways to present this material in as
understandable and accurate a way as possible. Of course, any errors of fact,
presentation, or interpretation are ours alone.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com.
For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,
outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media
Development

Project Editor: Kelly Ewing

Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis

Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney

Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen

General Reviewer: Dr. Heather P. Tarleton

Senior Editorial Manager: Jennifer Ehrlich

Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor:
Carmen Krikorian

Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar

Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South

Illustrator: Kathryn Born

Cover Photos: © Jochen Tack/Alamy

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond

Layout and Graphics: Ashley Chamberlain,
Joyce Haughey, Christine Williams

Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies

Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies

Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel

Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel

Publishing for Technology Dummies

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Brushing Up on Biology ..................................... 9

Chapter 1: Painting the Broad Strokes of Stem Cell Science ......................................11
Chapter 2: Understanding Cells and Tissues ...............................................................21
Chapter 3: Tracing the History of Stem Cell Research ...............................................37

Part II: Delving into Stem Cell Science ........................ 51

Chapter 4: Starting with Embryonic Stem Cells ...........................................................53
Chapter 5: Understanding Adult Stem Cells .................................................................71
Chapter 6: Exploring Other Stem Cell Sources ............................................................87
Chapter 7: Understanding Why Scientists Mix and Match Cells..............................101

Part III: Discovering How Stem Cells
Can Affect the Future .............................................. 121

Chapter 8: Looking into Cancer’s Cradle: Cancer Stem Cells ...................................123
Chapter 9: Using Stem Cells to Understand and Treat
Neurodegenerative Diseases .....................................................................................137
Chapter 10: Improving Therapies for Diseases of the Heart,
Liver, and Pancreas .....................................................................................................159
Chapter 11: Improving Drug Development .................................................................171
Part IV: Putting Stem Cells to Use Today ................... 181

Chapter 12: Where We Are Now: Stem Cell Treatments, Trials,
and Possibilities ..........................................................................................................183
Chapter 13: Understanding the Role of Stem Cells in Transplants .........................201
Chapter 14: Putting Stem Cells in the Bank ................................................................221
Part V: Understanding the Debate:
Ethics, Laws, and Money .......................................... 231

Chapter 15: Exploring Ethical, Religious, Philosophical,
and Moral Questions ...................................................................................................233
Chapter 16: Getting a Handle on Current Stem Cell Laws and Policies ..................249
Chapter 17: Following the Money: Understanding Stem Cell
Funding and Profi ts .....................................................................................................269

Part VI: The Part of Tens .......................................... 285

Chapter 18: Ten (or So) Stem Cell Myths ...................................................................287
Chapter 19: Ten Hurdles to Stem Cell Use ..................................................................295
Chapter 20: Ten Possibilities for the Future of Stem Cells .......................................303
Chapter 21: Ten (or So) Things to Do Before You Consider
Stem Cell Treatment ...................................................................................................311
Chapter 22: Ten (or So) Great Resources to Stay Up to Date ..................................323
Glossary ..........................................................................................................................329

Index ...................................................................... 339