Dr. Jack Kessler, chair of Neurology at Northwestern University, hopes his daughter Allison, paralyzed from the waist down after a ski accident, will someday benefit from his stem cell research. Filmmaker Maria Finitzo's Mapping Stem Cell Research follows Kessler and his research team as they attempt to use stem cells to regenerate spinal tissue in mice, tracking the experiment from beginning to end—charting the progress and the setbacks in the lab—while also employing snappy computer-generated graphics to make it clear to viewers what is happening at the cellular level. Finitzo sets this research in context by also incorporating interviews, news clips, and footage of congressional debates, related to the various moral, ethical, and political perspectives in the controversy over embryonic stem cell research. On one side are people like Kessler and his colleague at Northwestern, professor of bioethics Laurie Zoloth, who see the immense potential to alleviate suffering. On the other side are conservative Christians such as President George W. Bush and Catholics like Reverend Tadeusz Pacholczyk from the National Catholic Bioethics Center, who believe that embryos are human beings and should not be sacrificed for the benefit of others. Although the filmmaker's sympathies clearly lie with those in favor of stem cell research, she seems genuinely driven to challenge misconceptions, while keeping a focus on the rigors of research and the potential benefits for people like Dr. Kessler's daughter. Highly recommended. [Note: this title will also be released on home video May 27 from Facets Video, priced at $29.95.] Aud: H, C, P. (J. Wadland)
Mapping Stem Cell Research
(2007) 90 min. DVD or VHS: $99.95: public libraries; $350: colleges & universities. The Cinema Guild. PPR. ISBN: 0-7815-1232-8 (dvd). Volume 23, Issue 3
Mapping Stem Cell Research
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