Melton to Discuss Stem Cells in Next Distinguished Lecture Series Session November 10

The University Distinguished Lecture Series committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Douglas A. Melton, the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences at Harvard University and the co-director of Harvard Stem Cell Institute, will present the second lecture of the 2009-2010 distinguished lecture series season.

The lecture titled, "Stem Cells as Tools and Products for Regenerative Medicine," will discuss the scientific challenges and technological advances and the attendant political and ethical issues surrounding stem cell science.

The lecture is free and open to the public. Tickets are required to ensure adequate seating.  Free tickets are available from the MSC Box Office, 979-845-1234.

About the Speaker

Dr. Douglas A. Melton earned a bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Illinois and then went to Cambridge University in England as a Marshall Scholar. He earned a B.A. in history and philosophy of science at Cambridge and remained there to earn a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Trinity College and the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He is a member of the National Academy of Science, a founding member of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and is on the Science Advisory Board of the Genetics Policy Institute. He is the recipient of the George Ledlie Prize, the Richard Lounsbery Award, and the Eliot P. Joslin Medal.  In addition to his appointments at Harvard, Dr. Melton is also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dr. Melton's laboratory is interested in the genes and stem cells that give rise to the pancreas and insulin-producing beta cells, with possible therapeutic implications for diabetes.