With Café Scientifique being a regular event at the Exeter Phoenix in Exeter, a decent crowd was always guaranteed at the stem cell dialogue on Monday night. However, I doubt the organisers expected the 150-plus people who showed up to hear Dr Stephen Minger discuss his research.
Minger encouraged his growing audience to order an extra drink when the event was announced as starting at 8.30pm rather than at 8pm as many had thought, perhaps because he was worried that they would become restless. He need not have worried, as the group continued to increase in size, with many curious passers-by loitering as the talk got underway.
Starting with some background information on stem cell research, Minger promised to include a discussion of the ethics as well as elaborating on his own group’s research. Based at King’s College London, his research team was the first to be granted a license to create a human embryonic stem cell line by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in the UK. The work he spoke about involved using mouse stem cells, as well as those from humans, in attempts to develop cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s and type I diabetes.
Talking about his work of the past fifteen years, he explained why existing transplantation techniques were unable to provide cures for such diseases, emphasising the importance of stem cell work as a means of providing sufficient amounts of tissue to treat the many patients who are suffering. The audience did not seem to mind the vast amount of data and scientific jargon that was being thrown at them, possibly because they were aware that an hour was reserved for their questions at the end of the evening. To Minger’s credit, he did show some fascinating video footage of scientists manipulating stem cells, which undoubtedly took the edge off some very monotonous tables and graphs.
Unfortunately the large numbers meant that the usual intimacy of the café was lost, with questions submitted via paper slips rather than as part of a discussion as is usually the case. That aside, a varied and curious group seemed to enjoy the proceedings. It was a good mix, with student helpers, local residents and several BA veterans making for an informal, yet engaged atmosphere.
It was a shame that the ethical side of the debate about stem cell research was neglected somewhat. Minger seemed to forget that he had promised to mention it, whilst the audience queries were more concerned with the possibilities of actually curing disease in the future.
The idea of creating bloodbanks for newborn foetuses, which could be used to treat them in their future life if needed, seemed to grip the attention of many. Indeed most people there could be heard debating the science involved over their drinks, rather than the ethical dilemmas, which surround this controversial topic.