Name:                                                                                Per:                Date:

IB Stem Cell Investigation

Stem cells have a significant potential to change and improve the medical profession by saving and improving lives. As there are numerous potential uses of stem cells, your task is to outline a use of stem cells to treat a medical condition in a creative product, and present your understanding of the science and the ethical controversy to the class.  

IB Standards:

• The capacity of stem cells to divide and differentiate along different pathways is necessary in embryonic development and also makes stem cells suitable for therapeutic uses
• Application: Use of stem cells to treat Stargardt’s disease and one other named condition.
• Application: Ethics of the therapeutic use of stem cells from specially created embryos, from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby and from an adult’s own tissues.

Things to Include:

1. Explain the use of stem cells to treat your specific condition, the type of stems cells (totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, unipotent) used to treat it, where those cells are found and what they differentiate into.

1. Explain the science behind their use - you must have a clear understanding of this!

2. Describe the ethics and controversy that surround the therapeutic use of stem cells in relation to your specific condition.
3. The future of stem cells pertaining to your specific condition, include a specific example, experimental or animal trials.  This should be summarized in your own words and accompanied by diagrams.

Product Options:

Create an Infographic; Infographics are all the rage on the internet these days and can be made fairly quickly and easily

• Easel.ly is a free easy to use infographic creator

Create a Video: Videos need to be published and can be done so by uploading to youtube

• iMovie (if you make an iMovie, you need to upload it to YouTube so you can share a link of the video)

• Go Animate

Create a Prezi, Googleslide Show, or Powerpoint: Prezi is a great, and more fun, alternative to Powerpoint

• Prezi

Products will be shared and presented.  Sources for your product must be credible and need to be cited.  Citations for your information need to be included in your product as a slide or portion of the video.

• OWL Purdue MLA

Resources: Just a few to get you started, there are lots of resources out there

• Utah Genetics: The nature of stem cells
• Utah Genetics: Unlocking Stem Cell Potential
• Utah Genetics: Stem Cells in Use
• NPR: Embryonic Stem Cells from Skin Cells

Turn-In Instructions on Google Classroom:

• Ensure all group member names are on the project.
• Collect the link to whatever it is that you create (ask if you are not sure how to do this).
• In Google classroom, click on the assignment, click add, and insert a copy of your link; see the image below.  

• One person for each pair should turn in the group’s work.
• Don’t forget to click submit!

Assessment:

Assessment Reflection (Communication): (On Note Card)

1. Explain and give an example of cell differentiation (1pts.)
2. Describe the difference between embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells, where each are found or cultured and what each can become. (4pts)
3. How can the use of stem cells be used to treat Stargardt’s disease? (2pts.)
4. How can the use of stem cells be used to treat a different disease? (2pts.)
5. Evaluate one ethical implication of stem cell research. (1pt)

Possible uses of stems cells

1. Brain Cancer
2. Ovarian Cancer
3. Skin Cancer: Merkel Cell Carcinoma
4. Testicular Cancer
5. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
6. Leukemia
7. Breast Cancer
8. Diabetes Type I
9. Crohn's Disease
10.  Juvenile Arthritis
11.  Chronic Coronary Artery Disease
12.  Parkinson’s Disease
13.  Spinal Cord Injury
14.  Sickle Cell Anemia
15.  Limb Gangrene
16. Chronic Liver Failure
17. Drug testing - cancer trials
18. Stargardt Disease (macular degeneration)
19. Stroke
20. Burns