The ethical argument concerning the use of embryonic stem cells continues to rage and may well be an issue in the upcoming 2012 election. The use of embryonic stem cells in research is continually questioned in some quarters on the premise that the growing success of adult stem cell research makes embryonic stem cell research unnecessary. In this four minute video Dr. Weissman explains what it's like to work with one type of cell versus the other and why the research distinction is important.
Irving Weissman is one of the older generation of stem cell pioneers. He is a professor of pathology and developmental biology and the director of Stanford University School of Medicine's Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
In 1988, Dr. Weissman became the first to isolate in pure form any stem cell in any species when he isolated the hematopoietic or blood-forming stem cell in mice. He subsequently isolated the human hematopoietic stem cell, the human neuronal stem cell, and the human leukemia stem cell.
Dr. Weissman's research encompasses the phylogeny and developmental biology of the cells that make up the blood-forming and immune systems.
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