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Date: April 13, 2007

Author: Gloria German

STEM CELL QUESTIONS? ASK THE EXPERT!

Dr. Mark Zern would like the number of people waiting for a liver transplant to go from 20,000 to zero.

"There are 5,000 to 6,000 people who receive a liver transplant each year, 20,000 on the waiting list, and many more who do not get on the list because of the limited number of livers available," says Zern, the Director of the Transplant Research Program at the UC Davis Medical Center. Zern hopes that stem cells may offer a solution to this critical problem.

Stem cell research, however, has been a controversial subject. Although it offers hope to those with diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, spinal cord injuries, and other diseases, the political and ethical issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells have yet to be resolved.

Zern will discuss some of the basics ideas behind stem cell research in a free talk on Tuesday, at 7:30 pm, at the Davis Branch Library, 315 E. 14 th Street. The talk, "Stem Cells 101: Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Stem Cells But Were Afraid to Ask," is the seventh of eight in Explorit Science Center's Cutting Edge of Science Lecture Series. The lecture series is sponsored by Novozymes and hosted by the library.

"In theory, adult stem cells, as well as embryonic stem cells could be plastic: they could turn into other kinds of cells," says Zern. His research focuses on creating an "immortal liver cell line" that could be used to replace traditional liver transplants, instead injecting these liver cells into a person needing a transplant. "This has already been done in animals," Zern explains, "so the next phase is to test it in humans."

He was recently awarded a four-year $2.5 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to continue this research.

Zern's research examines the different types of stem cells, and their different potential uses. He uses three different types of stem cells: embryonic, bone marrow, and fetal liver progenitor cells. Zern will describe how his research looks into the ways that these types of cells could be used to produce functioning liver cells.

Additionally, Zern will encourage questions to clear up uncertainties that the audience may have about the scientific, as well as the ethical issues of stem cell use. "There is a difference of opinion about stem cell research, and it's something that I'm willing to discuss," says Zern.

In the end, he would like people to have an idea of what he is trying to do. "I'd like the audience to have a better understanding of what stem cells are, and what their potential is," explains Zern, "and get their questions answered."

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SUMMER CAMP DEADLINE APPROACHING

Explorit's weeklong summer day camps, for children entering preschool through fifth grade in the fall, run June 18 through Aug. 24. Registration information is available on-site or online.

Explorit's first round of registration is being conducted through a random-drawing process. The deadline to submit registration forms for the drawing is 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 16.

If you can't make the April 16 random-drawing registration deadline, don't worry. The next round of registration for any remaining spaces begins 9:00am May 1. This is an open registration process.

All camps involve children in the doing of science through experiments, take-home projects, games and hands-on investigations. Some of the topics offered this year include "Animals Around Us," "Slimy, Grimy Science" and "Aero-Adventures."

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Explorit Science Center is open at its new site, 2801 Second St., Davis. Through Jun. 10, you can visit the exhibition "Looking Up: The World Above Us." Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For more information:   www.explorit.org or (530) 756-0191.