"The Promise of Stem Cells:
Separating Hype From Reality"

Thursday, October 12, 2006
Presented by the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta

A father diagnosed with Alzheimer's. A young woman suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. A young boy with a traumatic brain injury.

Someday, scientists believe, embryonic stem cell research will enable them to use the regenerative abilities of embryonic stem cells to heal tissue damage from these and other neurodegenerative diseases. Privately and federally funded researchers are studying the mechanisms of disease to implement clinical trials of new drugs. Other researchers hope that stem cell research will lead to advances in transgenics and xenotransplantation, allowing them to enhance production traits and disease resistance in aquaculture and animal agriculture.

But is the promise of stem cell research real or is it hype?

Join the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta for a scientific look at embryonic stem cell research and examine its influence on commercial applications in such industries as pharmacology, transgenics, biomedicine and cloning.

The Promise of Stem Cells: Separating Hype from Reality," will feature noted researcher Dr. Steven L. Stice, professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Animal Reproductive Physiology, Director of UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center. Dr. Stice made history when he genetically engineered and cloned three calves from fetal cells. He also has participated in several biomed start-ups. Joining him will be David A. Dodd, former president, chief executive officer and director, Serologicals Corporation, and Dr. Michelle C. LaPlaca, associate professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. LaPlaca is a pioneer in the study of traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, and tissue engineering of the injured nervous system.

Produced in association with the MIT Enterprise Forum, program attendees and viewers will learn:

• The basics of stem cells, including the difference between adult stem cells and human embryonic stem cells, and how each figures in stem cell research
• How stem cell research has contributed to advancements in drug discovery, treating cardiovascular diseases (heart and blood vessel repair), neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and Multiple Sclerosis, and neural injuries like spinal cord and head trauma
• How cloning and transgenics animal methodologies and platform technologies are leading to breakthroughs in biomedical and agricultural sciences
• Where breakthroughs in stem cell research are projected and how they could lead to entrepreneurial business opportunities.

For more information, visit the MIT Enterprise Forum of Atlanta's site.

For information or to contact any of the viewing sites listed on the right, please email the MIT Enterprise Forum Global Office.