Stem Cell Research Through An Interdisciplinary Lens

Editor's note: This article is part of the Daily Cal's Semester in Review series for the month of October.

On the UC Berkeley campus, stem cell research brings together some of the greatest minds in cell biology, neuroscience, chemistry, bioethics and law.

At the Berkeley Stem Cell Center, each researcher is part of a unique collaboration in the battle against chronic illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and various cardiovascular diseases.

The center, which is the brainchild of UC Berkeley cell and developmental biology professor Randy Schekman and biochemistry and molecular biology professor Robert Tjian, was created in 2004 in an effort to harness UC Berkeley’s unique, multidisciplinary resources for stem cell research.

“The long term goal is to put together one of the most high-quality research units in the world on stem cells, differentiation and disease,” said Tjian, who directs the center.

Tjian explained that UC Berkeley’s edge in stem cell research results from the “depth and breadth” of the campus. The center integrates chemistry, engineering, biology, bioethics, law, anthropology and rhetoric departments into a collective workforce.

In addition, the campus has neighbors strongly involved in science research, he said. Scientists from both Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and Oakland’s Children’s Hospital & Research Center are affiliated with the center.

The center is currently investigating the basic biology of stem cells and stem cell therapy. Stem cells are important in treating numerous diseases because they can develop into any cell type in the human body, possibly helping to regenerate tissues or other cell deficiencies.

Eventually, he said, the science will reach the patient’s bedside.

“But right now we are in the early discovery period,” Tjian said.

Tjian’s own research focuses on the cellular factors that distinguish stem cells from differentiated cells, which are at the end of their developmental path.

The center also looks at the social sciences and humanities aspect of stem cell science. Boalt Hall School of Law professors are studying the controversial laws regulating stem cell research and therapy, and bioethicists are researching the ethical implications of the center’s discoveries.

“We’re dealing with people’s lives here,” Tjian said. “We want it to be done in the most ethical way.”

While there is ongoing debate over embryonic stem cell research at the federal level, bioethicists at the center are concerned with the ethical implementation of state-approved stem cell research, said assistant professor of bioethics and society David Winickoff.

“We need to think about the ethical concerns raised about practicing the research, not necessarily the embryos themselves,” he said. “For instance, there are some big ethical questions about how we should attract egg donors.”

The idea for the center was conceived after voters passed Proposition 71, dedicating $3 billion in state funds for stem cell research across California.

Editor's note: This article is part of the Daily Cal's Semester in Review series for the month of October.

Since then, the center and its faculty have received millions of state dollars from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and funding from private donors for projects.

The campus also made a large commitment to secure private gifts for the future headquarters, Tjian said.

More than $100 million was raised over the past few years to fund the demolition of Warren Hall and the construction in its place of the Li Ka Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, which will be the new home of the stem cell center, Schekman said.

The design of the building deliberately promotes collaboration between stem cell researchers, who are currently spread out around campus, Tjian said.

The new building will provide open lab space for scientists in an arrangement that facilitates interactions between fellow students and faculty across different fields. There will also be office space for bioethicists, he said.

“Separation is not conducive to a highly collaborative, synergistic environment,” he said. “What really fosters progress is random collisions (between researchers).”

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