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Stem Cells: Biology and Clinical Potential
African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 10(86), pp. 19929-19940, 30 December, 2011 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJB DOI: 10.5897/AJBX11.046 ISSN 1684–5315 © 2011 Academic Journals Review Stem cells: Biology and clinical potential Faris Q. B. Alenzi1* and Ali H. Bahkali 2 1College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Salman University, Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia. 2College of Science, KSU, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Accepted 28 December, 2011 Stem cell technology has developed rapidly in recent years to the point that we can now envisage its future use in a variety of therapeutic areas. This review seeks to summarize the types and sources of stem cells that may be utilized in this way, their pattern of development, their plasticity in terms of differentiation and transdifferentiation, their ability to self-renew, the privileged microenvironment in which they are housed, their cell surface markers used to track them, issues relating to their transfection, and their fate. Particular reference is made, as prime examples, to how both the function of mesenchymal and neural stem cells are being studied experimentally, and currently used clinically in certain circumstances, towards the ultimate aim of their mainstream therapeutic use. Key words: Stem cells, apoptosis, differentiation, mesenchymal and neural stem cells, therapy. INTRODUCTION Stem cells are characterized by their ability to undergo cells (MSCs) can proliferate extensively in vitro , and symmetric cell division resulting in one undifferentiated differentiate under appropriate conditions into bone, daughter cell and one committed daughter cell. The cartilage and other mesenchymal tissues (Brazelton et undifferentiated daughter cell can maintain a population al., 2000). -
Arxiv:1910.00443V3 [Eess.IV] 29 Jul 2020 Synchronize Acquired Data Sets, Such That Corresponding Developmental Stages Are Compared to One Another [3, 6]
Towards Automatic Embryo Staging in 3D+t Microscopy Images using Convolutional Neural Networks and PointNets? Manuel Traub1;2[0000−0003−0897−1701] and Johannes Stegmaier1[0000−0003−4072−3759] 1 Institute of Imaging and Computer Vision, RWTH Aachen University, Germany 2 Institute for Automation and Applied Informatics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany [email protected] Abstract. Automatic analyses and comparisons of different stages of embryonic development largely depend on a highly accurate spatiotem- poral alignment of the investigated data sets. In this contribution, we assess multiple approaches for automatic staging of developing embryos that were imaged with time-resolved 3D light-sheet microscopy. The methods comprise image-based convolutional neural networks as well as an approach based on the PointNet architecture that directly operates on 3D point clouds of detected cell nuclei centroids. The experiments with four wild-type zebrafish embryos render both approaches suitable for au- tomatic staging with average deviations of 21 − 34 minutes. Moreover, a proof-of-concept evaluation based on simulated 3D+t point cloud data sets shows that average deviations of less than 7 minutes are possible. Keywords: Convolutional Neural Networks · PointNet · Regression · Transfer Learning · Developmental Biology · Simulating Embryogenesis. 1 Introduction Embryonic development is characterized by a multitude of synchronized events, cell shape changes and large-scale tissue rearrangements that are crucial steps in the successful formation of a new organism [10]. To be able to compare these developmental events among different wild-type individuals, different mutants or upon exposure to certain chemicals, it is highly important to temporally arXiv:1910.00443v3 [eess.IV] 29 Jul 2020 synchronize acquired data sets, such that corresponding developmental stages are compared to one another [3, 6]. -
Human Stem Cells: Ethical and Policy Issues
HUMAN STEM CELLS AN ETHICAL OVERVIEW CONTENTS PART I: WHAT ARE STEM CELLS AND WHAT DO THEY DO? What are stem cells? Page 4 Different types of stem cells Page 5 Different sources of stem cells Page 7 Preliminary findings and research possibilities Page 10 Focusing on human embryonic stem (ES) cells Page 11 PART II: ETHICAL ISSUES IN HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM (ES) CELL RESEARCH The status of the human embryo Page 14 Donating embryos Page 18 Federal funding for human embryonic stem (ES) cell research Page 20 Opinions Page 23 Other ethical issues Page 25 PART III: SUGGESTED MATERIALS Websites Page 28 Books Page 28 Articles Page 29 PART IV: GLOSSARY AND REFERENCES Glossary Page 36 References Page 38 2 PART I WHAT ARE STEM CELLS AND WHAT DO THEY DO? 3 What are stem cells? Stem cells are “blank” cells found in human beings that are capable of developing into the many different kinds of cells you find in the human body. The human body contains stem cells because all human beings start out as only one cell, a zygote, which is a fertilized egg. The zygote grows into a human embryo by dividing first from one cell into two, then from two cells into four, and so on. In the first few divisions in the human embryo each cell contains the ability to make all the cells in the human body. As the cells of the human embryo continue to divide, the cells begin to specialize. The new cells are no longer completely “blank” because they begin to take on the functioning of a particular tissue or organ, such as the lungs or the nervous tissue. -
Endometrium and Embryo Implantation: the Hidden Frontier
FINAL PROGRAM AND ABSTRACT 0 1 0 2 , 5 2 - 4 2 r e b m te ep - S Lyon, France Endometrium and Embryo Implantation: the Hidden Frontier Your Continuing Medical Education Partner www.seronosymposia.org Endometrium and Embryo Implantation: the Hidden Frontier GENERAL INFORMATION VENUE Hilton Lyon 70 Quai Charles De Gaulle 69463 Lyon, France Tel: +33-4-7817-5050 LANGUAGE The official language of this Conference will be English. LOCATION Lyon, city of pairs with its 2 rivers, the Rhône and Saône, and its twin hilly districts, Fourvière “the hill of prayers” and Croix Rousse “the hill of workers”. A city proud of its monuments that cohabit marvelously with very contempor ary buildings. Intimate and open, mysterious and influential, impetuous and nonchalant, the home of the famous bouchon bistros, a capital of gastronomy, surrounded by vineyards known the world over, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site, a city famous for the invention of the silk and the birthplace of the inventors of cinema. Serono Symposia International Foundation, Annual Conference on: Endometrium and Embryo Implantation: the Hidden Frontier Lyon, France - September 24-25, 2010 AIM OF THE CONFERENCE Implantation is a complex process which requires the orchestration of a series of events involving both the embryo and the endometrium. Due to the complexity of the mechanisms involved and relative lack of information on some of them, it has been defined “black box” of assisted reproduction. Even with the transfer of high quality embryos, implantation rates still remain relatively low, thus failure of implantation is a major factor which influences negatively ART outcomes. -
New Genetics, New Social Formations
New Genetics, New Social Formations The genomic era requires more than just a technical understanding of gene structure and function. New technological options cannot survive without being entrenched in networks of producers, users and various services. New genetic technologies cut across a range of public domains and private lifeworlds, often appearing to gen- erate an institutional void in response to the complex challenges they pose. Chap- ters in this volume discuss a variety of these novel manifestations across both health and agriculture, including: gene banks intellectual property rights committees of inquiry non-governmental organisations (NGOs) national research laboratories These are explored in such diverse locations as Amazonia, China, Finland, Israel, the UK and the USA. This volume reflects the rapidly changing scientific, clinical and social environment within which new social formations are being constructed and reconstructed. It brings together a range of empirical and theoretical insights that serve to help better understand complex, and often contentious, innovative processes in the new genetic technologies. Peter Glasner is Professorial Fellow in the Economic and Social Research Council’s Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics at Cardiff University. He is Co-editor of the journals New Genetics and Society and 21st Century Society.He has a longstanding research interest in genetics, innovation and science policy. He is an Academician of the Academy of Learned Societies in the Social Sciences. Paul Atkinson is Distinguished Research Professor in Sociology at Cardiff University, where he is Associate Director of the ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics. He has published extensively on the sociology of medical knowledge and qualitative research methods. -
Bridging the Cultural Divide in California's
“SO FAR LEFT, WE’RE RIGHT”: BRIDGING THE CULTURAL DIVIDE IN CALIFORNIA’S STEM CELL CONTROVERSY by Joan Kathleen Higgs BA, Simon Fraser University, 2005 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Joan Kathleen Higgs 2010 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Spring 2010 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. Approval Name: Joan Kathleen Higgs Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: “So Far Left, We’re Right”: Bridging the Cultural Divide in California’s Stem Cell Controversy Examining Committee: Dr. Ann Travers Chair Assistant Professor of Sociology Simon Fraser University Dr. Dara Culhane Senior Supervisor Associate Professor of Anthropology Simon Fraser University Dr. Michael Kenny Supervisor Professor of Anthropology Simon Fraser University Dr. Marina Morrow Internal Examiner Assistant Professor, Faculty of health Sciences Simon Fraser University Date Defended/Approved: April 13, 2010 ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. -
Proposal to Create a Graduate Minor in Bioethics
Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities Proposal for a Graduate Minor in Bioethics June, 2015 [Revised September, 2015] [Revised October, 2015] Graduate Studies Committee Proposing the Graduate Program MA in Bioethics: Ryan Nash, MD, MA (Chair) Alan Litsky, MD, ScD Karla Zadnik, OD, PhD 1. Title of the proposed graduate minor: Graduate Minor in Bioethics 2. Rational for its development Currently, the University does not offer any programs on the graduate level in bioethics. In light of the established presence of bioethics as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary field, the Center for Bioethics was launched in 2013 with the task of addressing this need. An MA in Bioethics has been proposed, and a Graduate Minor in Bioethics is a natural programmatic extension of the proposed MA in Bioethics. In short, the primary rational for developing the Graduate Minor is to offer scholarship and training in ethics for graduate students in a field that warrants the University’s attention. As part of the planning process for the MA program, Ryan Nash (Director, Center for Bioethics) met with deans and directors from the OSU health campus colleges and schools—including College of Medicine, Biomedical Science, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Nursing, College of Optometry, College of Pharmacy, and College of Veterinary Medicine—to discuss the MA and Graduate Minor. The leaders from the health campus colleges and schools have all expressed agreement that a Graduate Minor in Bioethics would serve their graduate students well. Further conversations with leadership in the Colleges of Public Affairs, Law, Public Health, Social Work, the Department of Philosophy, and other “stakeholder” disciplines for bioethics have led to the same consensus that a Graduate Minor is a welcome addition for the University. -
Twister Segment Morphological Filtering. a New Method for Live Zebrafish Embryos Confocal Images Processing
TWISTER SEGMENT MORPHOLOGICAL FILTERING. A NEW METHOD FOR LIVE ZEBRAFISH EMBRYOS CONFOCAL IMAGES PROCESSING. M.A.Luengo-Oroz§ , E.Faure‡, B.Lombardot‡, R.Sance§, P.Bourgine‡, N.Peyrieras´ and A. Santos§ §Biomedical Image Technologies lab., ETSI Telecomunicacion,´ Universidad Politecnica´ de Madrid, Spain ‡Centre de Recherche en Epistemologie´ Appliquee,´ CNRS - Ecole´ Polytechnique, Paris, France DEPSN, CNRS - Institut de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, Gif-sur-Yvette, France ABSTRACT which is an extension of a classical morphological filter, re- We propose an extension of the classical morphological filter- moves noise from live zebrafish embryo 4D images in a very ing based on openings by line segment structuring elements. efficient way, with a predictable computational cost. It consists in filtering a 3D+time image with the opening by all the possible rotations of a segment in the 4D space, giv- 2. TWISTER SEGMENT FILTERING en an initial segment and a rotation angle. The method has been applied to remove noise from confocal laser scanning 2.1. Preliminaries microscopy images of live zebrafish embryos engineered to A grey-tone image can be represented by a function f : fluorescently label all their cell membranes. 2 Df → T , where Df is a subset of Z and T = {tmin, ..., tmax} Index Terms— Biomedical image processing, image is an ordered set of grey-levels. Let B be a subset of Z2 and restoration, morphological operations, microscopy. s ∈ N a scaling factor. sB is called structuring element B of size s. The basic morphological operators are dilation [δ (f(x)) = sup {f(x − y)}] [ε (f(x)) = 1. INTRODUCTION B y∈B and erosion B ´ınf−y∈B{f(x − y)}]. -
David B. Fletcher CV Wheaton College (IL)
David B. Fletcher Associate Professor of Philosophy Wheaton College Wheaton, Illinois 60187 (630)752-5890, fax 752-5581 [email protected] EDUCATION Ph.D. Philosophy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1984 M.A. Philosophy, Loyola University of Chicago, 1980 B.A. Trinity College, Deerfield, Illinois, 1973 Wright College, City Colleges of Chicago, 1970-71 PROFESSIONAL/TEACHING EXPERIENCE Wheaton College, 1981-present Associate Professor (Assistant Professor, 1981-86; tenure awarded, 1988) Courses taught: Ethical Theory; Bioethics; Contemporary Moral Problems; Philosophy of Law; Introduction to Philosophy; Aesthetics; Asian Philosophy; Business Ethics; Social Philosophy; Social and Legal Philosophy; Global Justice; Ethics in Education, Marxism; Plato Seminar; Existentialism; Humanism; Internship; Independent Study Wheaton College, 1994-1997 Chair, Department of Philosophy Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1994- Visiting present Professor of Bioethics Graduate Courses taught: Bioethics Seminar, Advanced Institute in Bioethics, Introduction to Bioethics, Classic Cases in Bioethics, Ethical Theory Green College, University of Oxford, 1991 Visiting Scholar College of St. Francis, 1985-1995 Adjunct Professor, Health Arts Courses taught: Ethics and Morality, Philosophy and Modern Society, World Religions 2 University of Illinois, 1977-81 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Instructor Department of Philosophy Courses taught: Introduction to Philosophy, Introduction to Ethics, Logic Loyola University, 1975-76 Graduate Assistant Department of Philosophy Journal of the American Medical Association, 1974 Manuscript Editor THESES DIRECTED Co-directed a master’s thesis at the Command and General Staff College of the U. S. Army for Major Mitchell Payne, The Army Ethic, 2014. Co-directed a master’s thesis in bioethics at Trinity International University for Sarah Flashing, H. -
Sources of Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Ethics
Sources of human embryonic stem cells and ethics This text has been taken from the following article, Hug K. Sources of human embryos for stem cell research: ethical problems and their possible solutions. Medicina (Kaunas) 2005; 41 (12): 1002-10. The author has made some modifications in this web version of the text. This is an overview of ethical issues discussed specifically regarding human embryonic stem cell research before the derivation of human iPS cells. The use of human embryonic stem cells in research has raised a number of ethical controversies. The extent of these controversies is partly dependent on the source of embryonic stem cells (1). There are three main sources of human embryonic stem cells: 1. Already existing embryonic stem cell lines; 2. Embryos that are left unused after in vitro fertilization procedures (the so-called “spare” embryos); 3. Embryos created by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer technique (the same technique that was used when Dolly was created) for the purpose of conducting research. Deriving embryonic stem cells from already existing embryonic stem cell lines is a less controversial practice than deriving them from “spare” embryos left from in vitro fertilization procedures. Stem cells derived from embryos created for research by somatic cell nuclear transfer technique raise major ethical objections from certain parts of society, arguing from religious and other moral perspectives (1). However, many of those who oppose embryonic stem cell research generally agree that the first source of embryonic stem cells (already created embryonic stem cell lines) is an acceptable one. They base this opinion on the argument that stem cell lines have already been created and it is impossible to save the lives of former embryos from which they were created, even if harvesting of embryos itself may have been a morally wrong action. -
Summary of Professional Activities Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D. 1
Summary of Professional Activities Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D. PRESENT POSITION AND ADDRESS: President The Hastings Center Garrison, New York 10524-4125 EDUCATION: 1968 B.A., Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; Psychology 1976 Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, NJ; Social Psychology PROFESSIONAL AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE: 1970-71 Preceptorials at Princeton University, Courses at Westminster College, Princeton, NJ 1971-75 Instructor at New College, Sarasota, FL 1975-80 Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Western College of Miami University (Promoted to Associate Professor, 1980) 1980-84 Associate for Social and Behavioral Studies, The Hastings Center, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 1984-86 Associate Professor, Institute for the Medical Humanities, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 1986-87 Professor of Ethics and Public Policy, Institute for the Medical Humanities, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 1987-99 Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 1996-99 Professor of Oncology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 1998 Susan E. Watson Professor of Bioethics 1999- Adjunct Professor of Bioethics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH TEACHING AT CWRU: School of Medicine Masters in Bioethics: Foundations in Bioethics I&II Independent Study Electives Core Curriculum: Core Physician Development Program Fundamentals of Medical Decision Making (Chair, Ethics/Legal/Psychosocial Section) Homeostasis -
Stem Cells: Potential Cures Or Abortion Lures?
DePaul Journal of Health Care Law Volume 6 Issue 1 Fall 2002 Article 5 November 2015 Stem Cells: Potential Cures or Abortion Lures? Valerie J. Janosky Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jhcl Recommended Citation Valerie J. Janosky, Stem Cells: Potential Cures or Abortion Lures?, 6 DePaul J. Health Care L. 111 (2002) Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/jhcl/vol6/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Law at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in DePaul Journal of Health Care Law by an authorized editor of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STEM CELLS: POTENTIAL CURES OR ABORTION LURES? Valerie J. Janosky* INTRODUCTION The controversy over whether scientists should use aborted fetal tissue for pioneering medical research is heavily debated, and generally centers on the ethical and moral dilemma of the tissue source versus the benefits of possible antidotes for many debilitating diseases. Hence, the question then becomes, "Does stem cell research result in the destruction of life, or is it the harbinger of a lifesaving scientific tool?", Opponents argue that fetal stem cell research is immoral, lures women to have abortions and should therefore be stopped. Advocates, on the other hand, contend that this "argument threatens to undermine stem cell studies just at the moment when the promising technology is making rapid gains." 2 They defend the acquisition of stem cells from aborted fetuses or from the fertilization of a human egg in a test tube, because of the cells' unique ability to repair tissue,3 which holds much promise for new treatments and potential cures.