Some of the world’s leading scholars across a variety of relevant disciplines visited the University of Notre Dame for a week-long “Workshop on Adult and Non-embryonic Stem Cell Research,” held on campus through July 2.
“The initiative seeks to demonstrate that respect for the equal dignity of every human being – from conception to natural death – and a commitment to excellence and rigor in research are both integral and complementary goods necessary to pursuing the proper ends of biomedical science,” said Carter Snead, professor of law and one of the workshop leaders.
In conjunction with the workshop, an afternoon lecture series, “Alternate Visions of Stem Cell Research: Scientific, Ethical, Legal & Theological Dimensions” was open to the public at 4 p.m. each day in the Patrick F. McCartan Courtroom in the Eck Hall of Law. A list of topics is available here.
Snead and Emeritus Professor Phillip Sloan of Notre Dame’s Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Program of Liberal Studies led the workshop and hosted the week’s public events, which are part of a University-wide effort to develop a center for high-level interdisciplinary work on the various dimensions of human developmental biology.
A complete schedule of speakers and events is available here.
Individual Presentations on YouTube:
- Greetings from the Pontifical Council for Culture, Rome, Melchor Sánchez de Toca (The Vatican)
- The Vatican Initiative in Support of Adult and Alternative Stem Cell Research, Tomasz Trafny (The Vatican)
- Ethical Life Science Research in a Catholic University, Keynote, Dean Peter Kilpatrick, Notre Dame College of Engineering (University of Notre Dame)
- The Development of Stem Cell Concepts and Current Stem Cell Vernacular, Rebecca Wingert (Notre Dame)
- Systems Hylomorphism: A Post-Genomic Theory of Nature, Nicanor Austriaco, O.P. (Providence College)
- The Ethical Challenges of the Molecular View of Life, Phillip R. Sloan (University of Notre Dame)
- The Usefulness of Adult Olfactory Stem Cells in Spinal Cord Injury and Brain Injury, Jean Peduzzi-Nelson (Wayne State)
- Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Donald Landry (Columbia University Medical School)
- Legal and Public Policy Dimensions of Stem Cell Research, O. Carter Snead (University of Notre Dame)
- Human Dignity & Biotechnology, Gilbert Meilaender (Valparaiso University)
Hosted by Notre Dame’s Initiative on Adult Stem Cell Research and Ethics, the conference is sponsored by numerous campus groups, including the Office of the President.
As the premier American Catholic research university, Notre Dame is ideally suited for this work with strong departments in biology, engineering, law, theology, philosophy, and the history and philosophy of science, as well as scholars in each component with expertise in all aspects of stem cell research.