Dominican University hosts lecture on stem cell therapy

Dominican University's Albertus Magnus Society will present a lecture titled "Stem Cell Therapy: Clinical Possibilities and Ethical Implications" by Irina Calin-Jageman, assistant professor of biology at Dominican University. The lecture will be held Thursday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. in Priory Campus Room 263, 7200 W. Division Street, River Forest.

Calin-Jageman's lecture will focus on three major questions: What are stem cells and where do they come from? How close are we to clinical stem cell therapy for disorders in the human nervous system such as ALS, spinal chord injury, and Parkinson's disease? And what are the ethical implications of stem cell harvesting?

Calin-Jageman received her doctorate in molecular biology and biochemistry. She teaches courses in biology, neurobiology, and molecular biology at Dominican. She was awarded a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM) to conduct research on a project entitled "Mechanisms in the Expression and Decay of Long-Term Habituation Memory."

The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information on Dominican University's Albertus Magnus Society, please call (708) 714-9105 or visit the website at http://www.dom.edu/ams.

Established in 2006 by the Siena Center of Dominican University, the Albertus Magnus Society pursues new information and insight in a setting that is both scholarly and congenial, and reflects the Dominican understanding of the compatibility of religion and science. The society was named for Albertus Magnus, patron saint of scientists, and thirteenth century Dominican famed for scientific discoveries and a theology reflective of the emerging science of his day. For more information on the Albertus Magnus Society, please call (708) 714-9105 or visit the website at http://www.dom.edu/ams.