2009 National DNA Day Online Chatroom Transcript

This is just one question from an archive of the National DNA Day Moderated Chat held in April 2009. The NHGRI Director and many genomics experts from across NHGRI took questions from students, teachers and the general public on topics ranging from basic genomic research, to the genetic basis of disease, to ethical questions about genetic privacy.

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How do you believe stem cell research, with all their potential, will impact the field of moleculuar biology?
     David Bodine, M.D., Ph.D.: I investigate the genetics of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells (PHSCs) to improve the effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation and to find better ways to use these unique cells for gene replacement therapy. There is a lot to learn from stem cells. One molecular biology question is how do the cells and their DNA change when stem cells differentiate (mature) into mature cells? Clinically, we are already using bone marrow stem cells to cure blood diseases like leukemia and Sickle Cell Disease. As we learn more about stem cells we ought to be able to use stem cells to treat lots of diseases.
Scranton Preparatory School in PA (10th grade student)

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