The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging [Hardcover]

Michael D. West (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0385509286 | ISBN-13: 978-0385509282 | Publication Date: September 16, 2003 | Edition: 1

The extraordinary story of the breakthrough discoveries in cell aging, stem cell research, and therapeutic cloning, and the tremendous promise they hold for dramatically extending human life.
Dr. Michael West has been consumed with the mystery of science since he was as an inquisitive child mixing chemicals in his attic-turned-laboratory. Today, he stands in the center of a controversy so great that the list of those lining up against him includes President George W. Bush.
Once a devoted creationist eager to dispel theories of human evolution, Dr. West was set on a quest to find a scientific solution to the devastating effects of disease and death after the death of his father. He became immersed in the study of cell aging and the discovery of the cellular “clock” telomerase – the mechanism that controls cell aging. His work led him to found the biotechnology company Geron, a pioneer in the field of stem cell research. His new company, Advanced Cell Technology, is the only organization in the United States pursuing human therapeutic cloning research – research in the field of “regenerative medicine” intended to repair damaged and diseased human organs and tissues.
Unlike reproductive cloning, the attempt to clone a human child, therapeutic cloning is a process of growing cells, using a patient’s own DNA that is inserted it into an unfertilized egg cell to create embryonic stem cells, cells that hold the promise of repairing the damage of age and disease – in essence, making the cell young again. The potential for therapeutic cloning to treat afflictions caused by the loss of dysfunction of cells – from spinal cord injury and skin burns to kidney failures and cancer – is enormous.
Part memoir, part adventure story, The Immortal Cell chronicles the breakthroughs Dr. West and other scientists have made in biotechnology over the past decade – and the astonishing potential they offer us to cure diseases and improve the quality of human life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Human beings have always hungered for immortality. But even in myths, those who find the secrets of eternal life often have to pay a high price. Michael West, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, has spent most of his career as a biotechnologist seeking ways to make mammalian cells live forever. His successes put him at the center of political, moral, and religious firestorms. In The Immortal Cell, West offers not only a chronology of the emerging science of immortality, but a personal journal of his own path from strict creationist to ardent scientist seeking to shape human evolution. It was West and his cohorts who announced in 2001 that by inserting a person's own DNA into an unfertilized egg cell from a woman of reproductive age, they could create embryonic stem cells--cells that might be able to repair any number of problems for the DNA donor, including burns, cancer, degenerative disorders, and even normal aging. Accused of "playing God," West became one of the central figures in the debates on human cloning and was compared to Osama bin Laden by one histrionic news agent. In The Immortal Cell, West describes both the research and the furor that followed. Though the biology is a little tough for general readers, West does a fine job of using diagrams and step-by-step descriptions to explain his processes of cell culture and manipulation. The debate over therapeutic cloning of human cells is far from over, and readers seeking to better understand the debate will find West's book an unapologetic, one-sided argument in favor of human stem cell research. --Therese Littleton

From Publishers Weekly

West was once asked by a journalist: "Just what does it mean to play God?" The author, whose controversial career in therapeutic cloning has been chronicled extensively by the media, seeks to respond in a brisk memoir that describes a boy who sought answers to mortality in his Protestant faith and eventually took matters into his own hands as a scientist-entrepreneur. He describes his founding of Geron, the first biotech firm to seek a "cure" for human aging, and his decision to leave for his current venture, Advanced Cell Technology. He continues with the media firestorm surrounding ACT's crafting of stem cells from cloned embryos, which plays out under the shadow of President Bush's decision to curb stem-cell research, and finishes with the argument that to ban potential therapies before they are tested is to abort progress in medical research. Along the way, he gives a primer on cell theory, genomics and the basics of aging, but it's all drowned in the thin gruel of a campaign book. West glosses over his embattled departure from Geron in about two pages, citing his messianic calling to deny death, and gives the ACT controversy, one of the most interesting parts of the story, relatively short shrift. To get the full story, one would do better to pick up Stephen S. Hall's Merchants of Immortality, which fills in the holes left by West. West writes like the Big Money science pitchman he is-but many will agree with his position on the necessity for stem-cell research.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1 edition (September 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385509286
• ISBN-13: 978-0385509282
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #313,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Science Book: Should Be Read By Everyone, November 18, 2003

By 

Rick A. Parsons (Kokomo, IN) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging (Hardcover)

This exciting new book by Dr. Michael West tells the story of stem cell research, nuclear transfer, telomeres, the resetting of the biological clock in somatic cells and much more! As a biologist I found his first hand account interesting and informative! Biotechnology is on the cusp of a bold new age in medicine that could alleviate so much human suffering. Where will these new discoveries lead us and how will we choose to use them? These are just a few of the questions Dr. West takes on in this book. This book should be required reading for everyone especially those who oppose all cloning. This is one of the most exciting books published this year. I could not put this book down and devoured it in three days. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about science and especially genetics.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW...what an illuminating read!, August 21, 2004

By 

L. Seldin "lseldin" (FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging (Hardcover)

Such a fascinating look into the competitive world of scientific discovery and the breakthroughs that are being uncovered every minute behind closed doors. I love when he gets really technical into the science of the telomere and how this research can both help explain the immortal nature of cancer cells as well as the mortal nature of somatic cells. Shows how truly groundbreaking stem cell research can be (reverting mortal cells into immortal embryonic ones)! GREAT READ and highly recommended!

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars more self promotion than the discussion of the subject matter, October 20, 2005

By 

W. Chen (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging (Hardcover)

After reading so many positive reviews, I ordered the book, and expected to learn in-depth insight into the immortality of cells.
I was disappointed. This book is more of the author's personal story of pursuing the goal of reversing aging rather than detailed look into the biological nature of aging. There are tidbits of gems here and there, but the density is low. If you are looking for a serious discussion of the subject matter, this book is not for you.