Mapping stem cell research: terra incognita (2008)
Creator
Producer: Maria Finitzo
Director: Maria Finitzo
Contributor
Participants: Dr. Jack Kessler, Chair of the Ken and Ruth Davee Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurological Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Allison Kessler
Abstract
"Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita is a feature length documentary film centering on the story of Dr. Jack Kessler, the current chair of Northwestern University's Department of Neurology and Clinical Nurological Sciences, and his daughter, Allison, an undergraduate student at Harvard University. When Kessler was invited to head up the Neurology Department at Northwestern, his focus was on using stem cells to help cure diabetes. However, soon after his move to Chicago, Allison - then age 15, was injured in a skiing accident and paralyzed from the waist down. In the moments following the accident, Dr. Kessler made the decision to change the focus of his research to begin looking for a cure for spinal cord injuries using embryonic stem cells. A trailer for the film is viewable at the film-related website at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/stemcell/ . Links to download the full-length feature film are also available. Other educational and informational resources also reside on the site. Through Kessler's story, we bring the stem cell debate to the public for discussion. The film follows the constantly evolving interplay between the promise of new discoveries, the controversy of modern science and the resilience and courage of people living every day with devasting disease and injury." [description from the DVD case] "Some people consider stem cell biology the holy grail of regenerative medicine, while others view embryonic stem cell use as morally wrong. But when the daughter of a respected neurologist is paralyzed with a spinal cord injury, he enters the unknown territory of stem cell research, navigating its promises and its perils." [description taken from http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/stemcell/] This film received a Peabody award in 2008, a Gold Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, and a special mention at the New Zealand Documentary Festival.
Permanent Link
http://hdl.handle.net/10822/549275Date
2008Subject
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