Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine

The goal of Regenerative Medicine is, borrowing from the Foo Fighters, to 'Erase/Replace'. This new field of medicine is predicated on the biology of stem cells, which hold enormous potential to shape the future of medicine. The impact of stem cells doesnít stop there: their use has ignited ethical debates, created schisms, and impacted the geopolitical landscape in ways that few people could have imagined.

In 45 minutes I'll endeavor to take you on a tour of sorts, to discover what a stem cell is, the fundamental distinctions between embryonic and adult stem cells, and what constitute realistic goals for the use of stem cells to treat human diseases and disorders. At the end, I hope the audience will understand why stem cell biologists think that Regenerative Medicine may well be the most important scientific advancement of our lifetimes.

Speaker: Dr. Jill Helms is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Stanford University. Her lab research is focused on craniofacial development/morphogenesis and regenerative medicine. Prior to Stanford, she spent 8 years at UCSF, where she was the Director of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.