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Friday, March 15, 2013

Stem cell community connecting with high schoolers across Europe

While Unistem2013 winds down in Europe it has been fun seeing the engagement of young students with stem cell researchers across Italy, Spain and the UK. This engagement is visible in most the faces in the photo above—you can’t capture all of a teenage audience. The organizers predicted that they would reach 15,000 students today.

I must admit, that many of the Tweets (@unistem2013 #unistem2013) and Facebook posts have challenged my skills with Italian and Spanish, but it was nice to read that many of the students got to see a video interview with Rita Levi-Montalcini taped before the Italian Nobel Prize winner died earlier this year. She is an inspiring speaker.

It was also valuable that speakers discussed the fact that there are many different ways you can turn knowledge of science into a career. Euro Day in Science (@euro_dayinsci) tweeted:
Their are lots of career paths in science: technical roles, academic research, and science communication to name just three! #unistem2013
As someone who has a degree in science but always made a living communicating science, I like it when kids get reminded they have the option of mixing a love for words with a love for science.

A group at the University of Barcelona passed out a stem cell board game. I have asked a friend there to send a copy. When we get it, we will scan it a pass it along if the copyright permits.

All this makes me look forward to Stem Cell Awareness Day, which will be October 2 this year. We will be posting more information on that at stemcellday.com early this summer.

DG

1 comment:

  1. Mayo Clinic to hold trial for BrainStorm's ALS stem cell therapy

    TEL AVIV (Reuters) - BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics said the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota has agreed to conduct a clinical trial of the company's adult stem cell treatment for ALS.

    The Mayo Clinic is the third leading U.S. clinical site to sign a letter of understanding, following the University of Massachusetts and Massachusetts General, BrainStorm said on Monday.

    Israel-based BrainStorm is developing NurOwn for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

    Initial results from Phase I studies suggest that patients with ALS experience a positive clinical outcome after treatment with NurOwn cells, the company said.

    Anthony Windebank, principal investigator at the Mayo Clinic, said the clinic started patient stem cell safety trials last year.

    "The next logical ... step is the type of modification that enables BrainStorm's NurOwn cells to deliver factors to the nervous system that are known to promote motor nerve cell survival," Windebank said.

    http://news.yahoo.com/mayo-clinic-hold-trial-brainstorms-als-stem-cell-043727679--finance.html

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