Biology 4300F/G Selected Topics in Cell Biology 2013

Instructor: Dr. G.M. Kelly [email protected] 359 Western Science Centre TA: G. Golenia [email protected] 355 Western Science Centre

Embryonic Stem Cells

Stem cell biology has risen through the ranks to become one of the hottest and most actively researched areas in cell biology; so hot that the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for their work on stem cells. The ability of a cell to self- renew and then differentiate into any cell has fascinated scientists since their first discovery by Ernest McCulloch and James Till at the Ontario Cancer Centre in the 1960’s. Surprisingly, it was not until the early 1980’s that scientists found and adopted ways to isolate and culture stem cells from mouse embryos. By the late ‘90’s, the advent of methods to isolate and grow human embryonic stem cells was soon accompanied by ethical concerns as embryos had to be destroyed in order to collect the stem cells. A breakthrough in technology came in 2006 and 2007, when reports surfaced that fully differentiated adult mouse and human cells could be reprogrammed or induced to form stem cells. These iPSCs, or induced pluripotent stem cells, are considered by some to constitute the “discovery of the century”, because as the centerpiece in therapeutic strategies against human diseases, they show great promise in regenerative medicine. Thus, given these reasons it should be obvious why there is great interest in better understanding how the biology of stem cells can be manipulated in order to instruct them to form various tissues and organs.

Objectives and Course Structure

This course provides an introduction to the area of research involving embryonic and iPSCs. Emphasis on the first part of the term will focus on the current state of knowledge and select papers from the primary research literature will be used to highlight key developments in the field.

What are stem cells, what properties do they share and why so much interest? What are similarities/differences between embryonic, adult and induced puripotent stem cells? What are the therapeutic uses of stem cells and what are the ethical/commercial issues?

More specifically, the focus this year will be on the history of stem cell research, and the techniques involved in their isolation, culturing, characterization and genetic reprogramming. For the second half of the term students will give class presentations on select topics including, but not limited, to:

Molecular Mechanisms of Toti-, Pluri- or Multipotency Self-Renewal Asymmetric Cell Division and Cell Polarity Transdifferentiation Cellular Quiescence Early Patterning Cell Cycle Regulation Cell Signaling MicroRNAs and Gene Regulation Epigenetic Mechanisms Stem Cell Niche Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Dedifferentiation & Reprogramming of iPSCs Ethics Issues and Pros & Cons of Stem Cell Research Intellectual Property & Patenting

Course structure: The course will consist of lectures, group discussions, student-led discussions/presentations/lectures, two hours each week.

Assessment*: There will be:

- midterm based on lecture material and primary literature - 30% - 20-30 minute journal club based on primary literature - 15% - 40 minute “lecture” based on a primary topic outlined above, given at the level you would expect in a third year course - 20% - written exam-type question based on your lecture material - 5%** - 30 minute “presentation” on a famous Stem Cell Researcher- 15% - 5-6 page, double spaced News and Views type research paper based on the latest material pertaining to your lecture - 10% - participation - 5%

* Tentative based on the expected course enrollment for this year. ** Mark assigned by fellow students

Text: None

Outcomes, Expectations and Goals

Upon completion of the course I expect students will have gained a unique understanding of what constitutes an embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell and their importance to the normal biology of that organism. Furthermore, having been immersed in discussions of ethical issues, I am certain students will have gained an appreciation of the pros and cons of stem cell research, allowing them to make the informed choices and decisions when needed. The student will have also gained experience with the fundamentals of many cell and molecular techniques that can be transferred to other areas of biology. Finally, in regards to tech transfer and professional development, the student will have gained invaluable skills pertaining to interpreting and critically evaluating scientific data, presenting seminars, panel discussions, debating, manuscript preparation and scientific writing.

Famous Stem Cell Researchers

Hans C. Clevers Mario R. Capecchi Elaine Fuchs John Gurdon Rudolf Jaenisch Gail Martin Douglas Melton Christine L. Mummery Austin Smith Ian Wilmut Shinya Yamanaka

In the Event of a Medical Issue

If you are unable to meet a course requirement due to illness or other serious circumstances, you must provide valid medical or other supporting documentation to the Dean's office as soon as possible and contact your instructor immediately. It is the student's responsibility to make alternative arrangements with their instructor once the accommodation has been approved and the instructor has been informed. In the event of a missed final exam, a "Recommendation of Special Examination" form must be obtained from the Dean's Office immediately. For further information please see: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/medical.pdf

A student requiring academic accommodation due to illness, should use the Student Medical Certificate when visiting an off-campus medical facility or request a Records Release Form (located in the Dean's Office) for visits to Student Health Services. The form can be found here: https://studentservices.uwo.ca/secure/medical_document.pdf

Scholastic Offenses

Scholastic offenses are taken seriously and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/appeals/scholoff.pdf

Also and in regards to the written report: All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between The University of Western Ontario and Turnitin.com (http://turnitin.com).

Tentative Schedule:

January 11th, Introduction, Course Description, Expectations January 18th, 25th, Primary Research Lectures/Critiques February 1st and 8th, Student Journal Clubs February 15th, Midterm One February 18th – 22nd (Reading Week) March 1st, 8th, 15th Student Lectures March 22nd, Bio of Stem Cell Researcher and Contributions March 29th, Good Friday April 5th, Bio of Stem Cell Researcher and Contributions April 11th, last day to turn in Review Paper