In case you forgot, today is Valentine’s Day. Whether you love, hate, or could care less about this day, you do have one thing in common with our other readers – you’re a fan of stem cells. (If you’re not, then why are you reading this blog??)
As a tribute to how awesome and important stem cell research is, I offer you a special Valentine’s Day-themed interview with the authors of the CIRM Stem Cellar blog.
What’s your favorite type of stem cell and why?
Kevin: Embryonic stem cells. Without that one cell none of this work, none of us when you come to think of it, would be possible. Whenever I give talks to the public one of the first things I talk about when explaining what stem cells are and how they work is the cartoon from Piraro, the one featuring the snowmen who look up at snowflakes and say “oh look, stem cells”. For me that captures the power and beauty of these cells. Without them the snowmen/women would not exist. With them all is possible.
Karen: Neural stem cells (NSCs) for the win! First off, they created my brain, so I am truly in their debt. Second, NSCs and I have an intimate relationship. I spent eight years of my life (PhD and postdoc) researching these stem cells in the lab on an epic quest to understand what causes Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. As you can see from the subject matter of my latest blogs (here, here, here), I am pretty stoked to write about NSCs any chance I get.
Microscopic image of a mini brain organoid, showing layered neural tissue and different groups of neural stem cells (in blue, red and magenta) giving rise to neurons (green). Image: Novitch laboratory/UCLA
Todd: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) rule! They’re my favorite because they allow researchers to study poorly understood human diseases in a way that just wasn’t possible before iPSCs came on the scene in the late 2000’s. For instance, it’s neither practical nor ethical to study autism by taking cell samples out of the brains of affected children. But with iPSC technology, you can recover cells from an autistic child’s baby teeth after they fall out and grow them into nerve cells in the lab to more directly study the cellular causes of the disorder. I also like the fact that iPSCs are the ultimate in personalized medicine in that you could make a stem cell-based therapy from a person’s own cells.
What do you love most about your job at CIRM?
Kevin: That’s hard to say, it’s like asking which is your favorite child? I love getting to work with the team here at CIRM. It’s such an incredible group of individuals who are fiercely committed to this work, but who are also ridiculously smart and funny. It makes for a great work place and one I enjoy coming into every day.
I also love working with patient advocates. Their courage, compassion and commitment to the work that we do at CIRM is inspirational. If ever I think I am having a bad day I simply have to think about what these extraordinary people go through every day and it puts my day in perspective. They are the reason we do this work. They are the reason this work has value and purpose.
Karen: You know how some people have a hard time choosing what flavor of ice cream to get? I have the same issue with science. I enjoyed my time doing stem cell experiments in the lab but at the same time, I was frustrated that my research and communications was so narrowly focused. I joined CIRM because I love educating patients and the public about all types of stem cell research. I also am a self-professed multitasker and love that my job is to find new ways to connect with different audiences through social media, blogging, and whatever I can think of!
I guess if I really had to choose a favorite, it would be managing the SPARK high school educational program. Each year, I get to work with 60 high school students who spend their summers doing stem cell research in labs across California. They are extremely motivated and it’s easy to see by watching their journeys on instagram how these students will be the next generation of talented stem cell scientists.
Todd: My interests have always zig-zagged between the worlds of science and art. I love that my job allows me to embrace both equally. I could be writing a blog about stem cell-derived mini-intestines one moment, then in the next moment I’m editing video footage from an interview with a patient.
Speaking of patients, they’re the other reason I love my job. As a graduate student I worked in a fruit fly lab so it probably doesn’t surprise you that I had virtually no interactions with patients. But as a member of the science communications team at CIRM, I’ve been fortunate to hear firsthand from the patients and their caregivers who show so much courage in the face of their disease. It makes the work we do here all the more motivating.
CIRM communications team: Todd Dubnicoff, Kevin McCormack, Maria Bonneville, Karen Ring
Please share a poem inspired by your love for stem cell research
Kevin: I’m from Ireland so obviously I wrote a limerick.
There was a young scientist at CIRM
Whose research made some people squirm
He took lots of cells
Fed them proteins and gels
Until they were grown to full-term
Karen: I wrote a haiku because that was the only type of poem I received a good grade for in elementary school.
Pluripotency
One stem cell to rule them all
Many paths to choose
Todd: Limerick-shimerick, Kevin. Only true poets haiku!
Shape-shifting stem cell
Hero for those who suffer
Repairing lost hope
One year ago…
The Stem Cellar 
An Asymmetrex haiku
Tissue stem cell count.
Though much is done without it.
Knowing it is best.
“Count your adult stem cells”
Thanks for sharing the stem cell love in poetry form!
I couldn’t care less about Valentine’s Day but this was truly awesome!