Ethical, Legal, and Social Dimensions
Of Stem Cell Research
Med83Q
Tues/Thurs 2:15-3:45,
Lorry Lokey Stem Cell Building rm. 1161
Director/PI: Chris Scott - Director of the Program on Stem Cells and Society
cscott@stanford.edu
Research Assistant: Molly Havard – mhavard@stanford.edu
Participating Faculty:
Dritan Agalliu
Tyler Cutforth
Nicole Holthuis
Cindy Klein
Vittorio Sebastiano
Course Description
Why are embryonic stem cells so powerful? Why do they provoke such
controversy? Can they cure and treat injury and disease? How do scientists use
them to answer important questions at the edge of biology's most exciting frontier?
This seminar begins to untangle the answers to these questions with a unique
curriculum designed and taught by stem cell researchers and teachers. Students will
first learn the theoretical and practical aspects of stem cell biology and their
importance in human development. With that information in hand, we'll spend part
of the class working at the laboratory bench in Stanford's new stem cell research
facility. There, we'll learn how to culture mouse embryonic stem cells, perform
experiments to change them into other types of cells, and discuss why scientists are
so excited about their potential for human health.
Along the way, we will confront questions at the heart of the debate: how, as a
society, do we balance our responsibilities to the unborn and the sick? Do new
technologies using less controversial types of cells offer a solution to the ethical
quandary? Through team-based activities and independent research, students will
explore pressing issues at the intersection of science and society, such as the
creation of human-animal hybrids, the first clinical trials using cells made from
human embryos, and the major ethical frameworks defining the debate. Along with
other activities and exercises, students will participate in a policy panel discussion,
where the many viewpoints about the stem cell ethical debate will be discussed.
This seminar is designed for non-science majors. However, a class in high school
science or AP biology is required. The laboratory section of the course is conducted
twice weekly, during regular class hours. There will be out-of-class assignments and
team-based projects. This course is a pilot project, developed through a National
Science Foundation grant. As part of the project, the students and teachers will
spend time evaluating and assessing the lecture, activities, and laboratory learning
experiences. Student grades will be based on in-class participation, assignments,
test scores, and group projects. Students will also be required to complete
supplemental evaluations as part of the NSF grant.
Schedule
Date
In Class
T – March 29
Lecture 1, Part 1:
Developmental Biology
Lecture 1, Part 2:
Developmental Biology
Lecture 2: Intro to Stem
Cells
Lecture 3: Intro to Cell
Culture
Lab Day 1: Media
preparation, Gelatinize
plates, thaw and plate
MEFs
Lab Day 2: Thaw hESC’s
Th - March 31
T - April 5
Th - April 7
T - April 12
Th – April 14
T – April 19
Th – April 21
T – April 26
Th – April 28
Lab Day 3: Split hESCs to
feeder & feeder-free
Lab Day 4: Split to
embryoid bodies
Lab Day 5: Feed EBs
Lecture 4, part 1: Directed
Differentiation
Lab Day 6: Feed EBs
Lecture 4, part 2: Directed
Differentiation
Activity 1 Intro
Assignments
Homework: Activity 1
reading and worksheet
T – May 3
Th – May 5
T - May 10
Th – May 12
T - May 17
Lab Day 7: Directed
differentiation into
beating cardiomyocytes
Activity 1 Analyze Data
Activity 1 Discussion
Due: Activity 1 worksheet
Lecture 5: Moral Status of
the Embryo
Activity 2 Introduction
Lecture 6: Ethics and
Regulation of Stem Cell
Research
Activity 2
Group-work
Homework: Stakeholder
readings, Position
statement
Th – May 19
Activity 2
Panel Presentations
T – May 24
Lecture 7: Clinical
Application of Stem Cell
Research
Lecture 8: Stem Cell
Tourism
Review and Student
Evaluations
Final Exam
Th – May 26
T – May 31
Fri – Jun 3, 3:30pm
Office Hours:
Office Hours will be held Tuesdays, 4:00-5:00pm
1215 Welch Road, Modular A
Room 62 (Conference room)
Grading
Group Activity 1
Group Activity 2
Lab Notebook
Participation/Attendance
In Class Assessments/Quiz
Final Exam
20%
20%
10%
15%
25%
10%
Materials (available in the Stanford bookstore)
Stem Cell Now by Christopher Thomas Scott
Life Sciences Student Lab Notebook
Due: Position Statement
In class: Group consensus
statement
Due: Consensus statement
Homework: Personal
Statement
Due: Personal Statement