The Science and Ethics of Stem Cell Research

Presented by Jeanne Ting Chowning, MSNorthwest Association for Biomedical Research

LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP

Thursday, May 26, 2011

The Science and Ethics of Stem Cell Research

Grades 9 -12

Northwest Association for Biomedical Researchwww.nwabr.org

Today’s Web Seminar

• Background

• Lessons and Activities

• Sample Activities

• Assessment

• Q and A

•1 Lab Investigation

•5 Lessons

•2 Assessment Options

The Curriculum

Background

• Overview– National Science Ed Standards– Essential Questions/Enduring Understandings– Unit Objectives

• Lesson Materials– Teaching sequence for each day– Masters

• Appendix– Teacher support materials

“Good ethics begins with good science and good facts.” -Ken Ryan

Stem Cells - Defining Properties

1.  Stem cells are unspecialized

2.  They have the ability to self-renew

3.  They can change into mature cell types

.

Plenty of Planaria Laboratory Investigation

Fresh water

Flatworms

Free living

Carnivores

Avoid Light

Sexual or Asexual

Regenerative Ability

• Morgan: 1/279 of a planaria can regenerate a whole organism

• Recent studies show that one neoblast cell is enough!

Neoblasts

• Planarian Stem Cell

• ~30% of cells in worm are neoblasts

Planaria are complex

Nervous System

Excretory/OsmoregulatorySystem

Lab Activity• Student groups receive 3

planaria• Whole class studies one

horizontal cut (pooled data)

• Each group determines its own cuts

• Each group has a control• Many inquiry opportunities

http://planaria.neuro.utah.edu/movies/stemcellmovie.html

http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/stemcells/planarian_regen.html

Let’s pause for questions. Does anyone have a question

about using planaria?

Lesson 1

Stem Cell Development

Human Embryonic Stem CellsWhere on this chart you think hESC come from ?

Blastocyst embryo at day 5~ 0.2mm in size

~ 8wks embryonic development

Zygote

Morula

Morula 16 cells

Source: Florida Institute for Reproductive Science and Technologies

Blastula/Blastocyst

BlastulaPre-Implantation (3-14 days)

Courtesy: RWJMS IVF Program

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/

Early Embryonic Development

Gastrula

Fate DecisionsFertilized egg

Totipotentstem cells

Totipotent: Can become any cell in body or placenta

Fate Decision

Pluripotentstem cells(3-5 days old)

Blastocyst

Pluripotent: Can become any cell in body

Implantation

Gastrulation (day 14) leads toPrimary Germ CellsEndoderm (inner)digestive tract, resp. trackMesoderm (middle)bones, blood cells, heartEctoderm (outer)skin, CNS

Multipotent: Can become any cell within a specific germ layer or cell lineage

Embryonic stem cells come from inner cell mass of blastocyst.

Implantation

Fate DecisionGastrulation (day 14) leads toPrimary Germ CellsEndoderm (inner)digestive tract, resp. trackMesoderm (middle)bones, blood cells, heartEctoderm (outer)skin, CNS

Multipotent: Can become any cell within a specific germ layer or cell lineage

Multipotent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hematopoiesis_simple.svg

Blood Cell Lineages

Let’s pause for questions. Does anyone have a question

about the embryonic development activity?

Lesson 2

Techniques for Obtaining Stem Cells

Techniques to obtain stem cells:

Which is the source of human embryonic stem cell lines?

A. In vitro FertilizationB. Therapeutic Cloning

(Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer)C. Umbilical Cord Blood and Bone MarrowD. Induced Pluripotent (iPS) cells

Techniques

Graphic +Description +Story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Human_embryonic_stem_cell_colony_phase.jpg

iPS cells

Potential Uses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Stem_cell_treatments.svg

Stem Cell Resources

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/tech/stemcells/

http://www.stemcellresources.org/index.html

http://stemcells.nih.gov/

Lesson 3

Case Study:One Family’sDilemma

Ethics definition

Ethics seeks to determine what a person should do, or the best course of action, and provides reasons why.

It also helps people decide how to

behave and treat one another, and

what kind of communities would

be good to live in.

IntroducingBioethical Principles through Student Skits

Parent respecting child’s career choiceParent NOT respecting child’s career choice

Parent helping child with homeworkParent NOT helping child with homework

Parent being fair between siblingsParent NOT being fair between siblings

Respect for PersonsRecognizing that all humans have moral standing and acting in a way that honors that moral standing

Supporting, and not interfering with, people’s ability to make choices for themselves.

Harms and Benefits.

Minimizing harms while maximizing benefits :

Acting to lesson negative outcomes and promote positive ones.

Fairness

Sharing benefits, resources, risks, and costs equitably.

Case Study: One Family’s Dilemma

• Couple from religious background• Trouble conceiving naturally• Had 2 children by IVF• Had 6 blastocysts remaining, which were frozen in storage• Insurance no longer covers storage• Researchers would like to use

Cook, Gareth, “After 2 Children Via IVF, Pair Faced Stem Cell Issue” The Boston Globe, April 4, 2004.

What are some possible options?• Option 1

Raise your hand to volunteer!

• Option 2

• Option 3

Case Study: One Family’s Dilemma

A. Continue to payB. Donate embryos to researchC. Donate embryos to other infertile

couplesD. Discard the embryosE. Use embryos to have more children

What are the relevant ethical considerations?

Value diverse positions but also guide students towards shared ethical considerations:

•Respect for persons•Minimizing Harms and

Maximizing Benefits•Fairness•Others

• Respect for Persons

• Minimize Harms/Maximize Benefits

• Justice

Which ethical principle is given priority if they donate the embryos to research?

Raise your hand to volunteer!

• Respect for Persons

• Minimize Harms/Maximize Benefits

• Justice

Which ethical principle is given priority if they decide to discard the embryos?

Raise your hand to volunteer!

“Science cannot resolve moral conflicts, but it can help to more accurately frame the debates about those conflicts.”

Heinz Pagels

Let’s pause two minutes for questions…

Lesson 4

Shades of Gray

Who or what will be affected by the outcome?

“Stakeholders” have a stake in how the question is resolved

Can be individuals, groups, institutions

Provides students with the opportunity to “be in someone else’s’ shoes”

Everyone Raise Your Hand(Leave your hand up to

determine order!)Read the stakeholder biography according to

the following chart.• If you are number 1-5 read stakeholder 1 • If you are number 6-10 read stakeholder 2 • If you are number 11-15 read stakeholder 3 • If you are number 16-20 read stakeholder 4 • If you are number 21-25 read stakeholder 5 • If you are number 26-30 read stakeholder 6• If greater than 30, join according to your ones

place number – 31 = group stakehold 1

“It is ethically acceptable to conduct research using human embryonic stem cells.”

Does your stakeholder agree?

Strongly Agree

AgreeStrongly Disagree Disagree

Small Group Breakout

1. Introduce the stakeholder you represent.

2. State why you placed your stakeholder where you did.

Actual Positions

Were you surprised by your stakeholder’s position?

√ YES X NO

Let’s pause two minutes for questions…

Lesson 5

Ethics and

Policy

Socratic Seminar

Final Assessment

Option 1 – IndividualA Letter to the President’s Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues

Option 2 – GroupA Grant Application

Science

+

Ethical Principles

+

Stakeholders

+

Decision-Making Model

Better-reasoned Arguments

Thank You!

Funding provided by Collaborations to Understand Research and Ethics, (CURE) Science Education Partnership Award, National Institutes of Health

Photo credits•Istockphoto•Cell Imaging Core, Center for Reproductive Sciences•Northwest Association for Biomedical Research•RWJMS IVF Program•SciencePhotoLibrary•Wellcome Trust Image Library•Wikimedia Commons

How can you receive a copy of this free

curriculum?Review and request from NWABR

www.nwabr.org

Other curricular materials include Bioethics 101, Animals in Research, HIV Research, Ethics Primer,

Bioinformatics/Genetic Testing, Bioinformatics/Genetic Research

Thank you to the sponsor of tonight's Web Seminar:

This web seminar contains information about programs, products, and services offered by third parties, as well as links to third-party websites. The presence of a listing or such information does not constitute an endorsement by NSTA of a

particular company or organization, or its programs, products, or services.

http://learningcenter.nsta.org

http://www.elluminate.com

National Science Teachers AssociationDr. Francis Q. Eberle, Executive Director

Zipporah Miller, Associate Executive Director Conferences and Programs

Al Byers, Assistant Executive Director e-Learning

LIVE INTERACTIVE LEARNING @ YOUR DESKTOP

NSTA Web SeminarsPaul Tingler, Director

Jeff Layman, Technical Coordinator