This past weekend's first cloning of a human embryo in Worcester, Mass., has left many students with questions about stem cell research.

To address those uncertainties, the Student Affiliates of American Chemical Society hosted an interdisciplinary forum on stem cell research Tuesday night at the Physical Sciences Center.

Around 50 students attended the event to listen to an educated discussion panel composed of political science professor Allen Hertzke, history of medicine professor Sarah Tracy, zoology professor Penny Hopkins, and guest lecturer on science and ethics and National Institute of Health board member Michael Anderson.

The presentation opened with Hopkins addressing the basics of human reproduction and stem cell harvesting.

She explained that stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be used to grow body parts, a process known as therapeutic cloning. The goal of therapeutic cloning is to take a stem cell and grow an organ, such as a heart for a heart patient or brain tissue for an Alzheimer's patient.

Because the embryo is destroyed in the process of therapeutic cloning, many people are opposed to it because the embryo can also be implanted in a uterus and grown into a baby.

"The same groups that resist stem cell research are not saying anything about something that's happening all over in fertilization clinics," Anderson said during his portion of the presentation.

He explained the process of in vitro fertilization in which as many as 12 to 15 of the woman's eggs are fertilized outside her body. Usually two or three are put back inside the woman's uterus to be grown into a baby. The leftover eggs can be frozen for possible pregnancy in the future, or can be disposed of.

"(The leftover embryos) can be used in stem cell research to save the lives of people," Anderson said. "We can use for the good of humankind and of all living things the technology of cell nucleus transfer."

University College freshman Laurie Padgett supports stem cell research.

"I think that it should be used on embryos that are going to be discarded anyway, because they could help a lot of people," Padgett said.

Hertzke said there is reason for caution and concern in stem cell research. He said stem cell research could lead to human cloning and "becoming our own creators" by genetically designing unborn children.

"Our political system is not responding necessarily to the religious groups, but to the concern that we might go too far," Hertzke said. "This suggests a kind of wisdom in our political system that says, "Let's slow down here.'"

Hertzke said that human cloning will be outlawed.

"I don't know of a single reputable scientist who wants to do human reproduction through cloning," Anderson said. "But I'm sure it will happen eventually."

Tracy said that banning stem cell research will not stop it.

"If we decide to ban stem cell research, it's still going to go on," Tracy said.

Marketing sophomore Amy Van Cleave attended the forum to learn more about stem cell research.

"I thought there were a lot of really good points but the debate was inconclusive," Van Cleave said.
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