Three days after Gov. David Paterson proclaimed Sept. 23, 2009 as Stem Cell Awareness Day in New York State, researchers, students and enthusiasts from within and beyond Cornell convened for the second annual stem cell symposium in Alice Statler Auditorium on Saturday. The event was organized by the Cornell University Stem Cell Program, a group made up of and overseen by life scientists working in this specific field. This year's symposium featured wide-ranging personnel from New Haven to Los Angeles.

In attendance was David Anders, scientific officer for the New York State Stem Cell Science (NYSTEM). Anders enumerated the responsibilities of his organization, which include deliberating ethical issues regarding the use of stem cells for biological studies and overseeing transitions from laboratory experiments into clinical trials for human application. Such studies are known as translational research.

NYSTEM's mission, according to Anders, is to foster a supportive climate for stem cell research in order to actualize translational science for the benefit of humanity. The organization, a $600 million, 11-year initiative, "makes sure that the majority of the money goes into research,” he said.

Anders explained that the difference between the New York State program and its out-of-state counterparts is that NYSTEM is not restricted. Moreover, out-of-state researchers are welcomed to collaborate with in-state investigators receiving NYSTEM grants.

Following Anders' address, Haifan Lin '90, director of Yale Stem Cell Center, gave a "progress report" on “A Small RNA-mediated Epigenetic Mechanism Related to Stem Cells.” Lin described his discovery of a gene family that is essential to stem cell development in yeast, fruit flies and humans alike.

Prof. Tudorita Tumbar, molecular biology and genetics, posed what she dubbed as the "Big Questions”: How do stem cells behave in their tissue of origin? What molecular pathways control that behavior? Which are involved in perturbation of disease?

“Stem cells reside in their specialized niche. When stem cells are needed they are activated to an asymmetric cell division … [which] can be environmental," she said. Tumbar explained that stem cells undergo a cycle of activation, proliferation and terminal differentiation, which goes on for a while until the bottom clump of cells succumb to apoptosis — programmed cell death.

Nichita Ciapurin '11, an undergraduate working in the Tumbar Lab and focusing on the study of mouse hair follicle stem cells, said that the process of cell regeneration can be advantageous in the case of wound repair. Each hair follicle cycle undergoes periodical growth and deterioration through programmed cell-death, he said. Hair is a good model for stem cell research since follicles follow an identical programmed cycle simultaneously throughout the body.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in the Tumbar Lab, Ciapurin said, is the discovery of unidirectional stem cell division. "When a stem cell divides, it could produce either two stem cells or two transient amplifying cells" that then copy themselves, continuing the cycle.

"I went to see what other exciting research is out there in the field [and] we presented our work," he said of his attendance.