5 DEC 2024
Academic Scholars and Seaford’s Biomedical Society Talk
A thought provoking and interactive session.
The Year 9-11 Academic Scholars and Seaford’s Biomedical Society students attended a thought-provoking talk by Science teachers Mila Attrill and Katherine Welch on The Uses and Ethics of Stem Cells.
Mila covered the basics of stem cells, including their classifications (totipotent, multipotent, oligopotent, unipotent) and applications such as:
Bone Marrow Transplants: Using hematopoietic stem cells.
Tissue Regeneration: Growing organs to reduce reliance on donor matches.
Skin Grafts and Cell Deficiency Therapy: Repairing damaged heart cells in a lab.
Brain Disease Treatment: Exploring therapies for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
She also discussed ethical concerns surrounding embryonic stem cells and how scientists are addressing them by reprogramming adult somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, offering a promising alternative.
The talk highlighted the incredible potential of stem cells while encouraging ethical reflection on their use.
In the second half of the session, students had the opportunity to research and prepare for a debate on key questions such as: What are the limitations? Should we be doing this? What are the costs?
Mila said: “Students had 15 minutes to prepare their arguments, and I was really impressed with how much they had thought about the issues and ethics. Students highlighted the potential of stem cell research to help with diseases like Alzheimer’s, which affects over 55 million people. On the other side of the debate, the ethical concerns surrounding the use of embryos and the high costs of research were discussed.
One student pointed out that if we don’t invest in new research, science will never advance. I’d like to thank all the students who spoke during the debate. It’s not easy to stand up and argue a topic you’re not familiar with, especially if you don’t personally agree with the side you’re allocated. I’m looking forward to more sessions like this in the future."
