Pluripotent Stem Cells in the Clinic, the Zoo and Space

Featured Speaker: Professor Jeanne Loring

Pluripotent stem cells are a type of stem cell that can develop into many different cell types or tissues in the body and can divide indefinitely, producing unaltered daughter cells that maintain the same properties as the original cell. Cell lines from humans and many other species have been established and can be generated from individuals as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Since the first report of human iPSCs in 2007, this method, called reprogramming, has been used to generate thousands of stem cell lines, each matched to an individual person. Clinical trials are using these cells to treat disorders of the brain, the heart and the pancreas. A clinical trial is underway to treat Parkinson’s disease by using a patient’s own iPSCs to generate matched dopamine neurons to replace those lost to the disease. Other research projects include collaborating with the San Diego Zoo to use iPSCs to rescue the northern white rhino from extinction, and sending neurons made from stem cells into space to test the effects of microgravity. 

Presenter Biography

Jeanne Loring is a uniquely experienced leader in both biotechnology and academia. She was one of the earliest pioneers in human pluripotent stem cells. She founded the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute where she remains a professor emerita, and the biotechnology company Aspen Neuroscience, Inc. which has initiated the first multisite clinical trial of autologous stem cell-derived neuron replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease. She received her B.S. from the University of Washington and her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon. 

Coordinator: Steve Clarey