George Daley, Whitehead fellow at the MIT-affiliated Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and assistant professor of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School, will deliver the 2002 Redman Lecture on the topic of stem cells.

His talks are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18 and Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. in the Health Sciences Centre, Room 1A1.

Monday, Nov. 18: “The Science of Stem Cells”

In 1999, Science Magazine highlighted Stem Cells as the “Breakthrough of the Year”, based on the isolation of human embryonic stem cells, startling revelations about stem cell plasticity, and the conviction that patients of the 21st century stand to benefit from harnessing the potential of Stem Cells for cellular and genetic therapies. Tissue replacement is the optimal treatment for a wide array of degenerative disorders, especially
since organ transplantation cannot meet all the needs of an aging
population. The realization that Stem Cells from embryonic and somatic
tissues can differentiate into a diversity of tissues and provide a
renewable resource for regenerative therapies has stimulated enormous
interest in these versatile cells and their applications in human disease.

Daley will provide a layman's overview of the exciting science behind
the revolution in stem cell biology and the brazen new technologies for therapeutic and reproductive cloning, while providing a realistic
projection about the immediate and future prospects for medical
breakthroughs.

Tuesday, Nov. 19: “The Stem Cell Debate: Science Confronts Politics”

The isolation of human embryonic stem cells entails the destruction of
human embryos, and this has stimulated a debate about the morality of this research. One perspective holds that human life begins with conception and that a human life should not be sacrificed even for medical therapies to help scores of others. On the contrary are those who believe that embryonic stem cells represent the best hope for cures for countless human diseases, and that the needs of patients justifies the sacrifice of early embryos. Alongside this debate is the concern that research in stem cell biology might lead to human reproductive cloning.

Daley will recount the history of the stem cell debate and highlight the controversial questions concerning embryonic and adult stem cells, and therapeutic versus reproductive cloning.

Daley, M.D., Ph.D., created the first mouse model to demonstrate that the BCR/ABL oncogene causes the human leukemia CML.

He received a bachelor's degree magna cum laude from Harvard
University (1982) and a Ph.D. in biology from MIT (1989) where he studied in the laboratory of David Baltimore. Daley was only the twelfth individual in the history of Harvard Medical School to receive the M.D. degree summa cum laude (1991). He served as chief resident in Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and is currently a staff member in Hematology/Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Boston.

His awards include the Leon Reznick Memorial Research Prize from Harvard Medical School, the New England Cancer Society Research Award, a Research Award for Clinical Trainees from the National Institutes of Health, the Burrough's Wellcome Fund Career Award in the Biomedical Science, and Scholar Awards from the Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of
America.