From cloning to stem cells: How can pigs help us solve problems in human medicine?

From Sigma Xi:

NCSU molecular biologist Jorge Piedrahita has cloned pigs and explored why they are not carbon copies despite sharing the same DNA. Now he is trying to crack puzzles that could result in transgenic animals useful in human and veterinary medicine. His studies in cloned pigs led him to an unusual family of genes called imprinted genes, involved in placental function and fetal development. Recently he found they are implicated in human diseases too and is developing stem cell technologies in swine to try to speed up clinical applications in people.

To learn more, come hear Piedrahita discuss "From cloning to stem cells: How can pigs help us solve problems in human medicine?" at the next Sigma Xi Pizza Lunch at noon on Wednesday, March 25.

Pizza Lunch is free and open to science journalists and science communicators of all stripes. Feel free to forward this message to others you think might be interested. RSVPs are required (for a reliable slice count) to cclabby@amsci.org.

Directions to Sigma XI:
http://www.sigmaxi.org/about/center/directions.shtml

Hope to see you there,