Customer Reviews

Stem Cell Now: From the Experiment That Shook the World to the New Politics of Life

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"Stem Cell Now" is a rare primer that deftly provides a layman with a highly readable grounding in the science, moral controversy and political dimensions of stem cells. Christopher Scott has an unusual perspective to bring to the subject as someone trained as a molecular biologist, but who also served as a business consultant and journalist. Scott was not only an assistant vice chancellor of research at the University of California at San Francisco, but also a founder of the short-lived and highly-acclaimed "Acumen Journal of Science." As such, he plays comfortably in the intersection of science, business and society. Scott waits until the end of the book to offer his own positions on the issues of stem cell research, but his point in writing the book is that any discussion about the broader social issues should be grounded in the science. To that end, this is a welcome contribution to informing the discussion and a surprisingly breezy read for anyone who wants to understand the promise, the limitations and the controversy surrounding stem cells.
Daniel S. Levine
Biotechnology Reporter
San Francisco Business Times

As a resident of the state of California, I participated in a recent election where we voted on whether or not to publicly fund stem cell research. A friend gave me a paper that explained her church's view on the matter and why they opposed it. Being a religious person myself (of a different faith which has not voiced an opinion on the issue) I could relate to some of the same concerns. Then recently I heard a radio interview with the author of this book where he contradicted some of the "facts" I had read, so I decided to learn more for myself.

Mr. Scott said in the interview that he tried to present both sides of the argument as fairly as possible. Although there's no doubt which side he's on I felt he respectfully presented the views of those who oppose the research - and without trying to refute or explain them away either. He explains very clearly what stem cells are and why there is so much attention to their research; why adult stem cells are not as potent as embroyonic stem cells (although still valuable); and clears up much of the confusion that is caused by media reports over terminology such as "cloning" and "embryonic." He is also very careful to stress that much of the over-hyped potential of stem cells may be a very long time coming, if it ever shows results at all, but is still worthy of research. He also explains why government funding is important to keep the exchange of information open and in the public domain.

Overall, this is a very rational explanation (unlike one "angry" review here) of the issue and the politics involved. His arguments are mostly sound, and delivered in an easy to comprehend manner that works well even for those who haven't had a biology class since high school. An easy to read book that I can recommend for anyone who wants to better understand this very important issue.

A bit biased towards using stem cells but not too much. He really tries to just show you the basics of the debate and the science behind the debate, which many people dont know. So if you want to understand more about stem cells, where they come from, their potential, the alternatives, etc. this is the book to start with.

Over the past decade or so stem cells have become a household term. Most of this is based on the significance that these cells have in building and repairing of the living tissues. Consequently, it is believed and hoped that the mastery over these cells will give us an unprecedented access to new therapeutical techniques and it would advance medicine by an unprecedented amount. However, the use of stem cells, particularly those that are derived from embryos, is fraught with serious ethical challenges. Unfortunately, most of the debate and issues that are raised are not readily accessible, because the sheer number and variety of terms, concepts and ideas can be overwhelming and subtle differences can have major consequences, both biologically and ethically. In light of that, a good introductory book to the topic of stem cells is invaluable and "Stem Cell Now" fits that task perfectly. It is supremely informative without getting overwhelming with technical jargon, and it's accessible and eminently readable. Its primary purpose is to describe the science behind the stem cells, what we in fact know about them, and in this respect it is a valuable resource. The book, however, does not shy from advocacy and Christopher Scott is a clear proponent of lifting most serious restrictions on the use of stem cells in research in the United States. On the other hand he is not dogmatic about his positions and he recognizes that there is a serious ongoing debate on the subject. He presents the opposing viewpoints as well without deriding them or being condescending, and the reader is free to form his or her opinion, or to seek out further information on the subject.

One danger of writing a book on a very active ongoing field of research is that new discoveries are made almost daily, and some major new breakthroughs have come about since this book came out of print (like successfully inducing human adult somatic cells to become stem cells.) However, the body of knowledge and the scientific understanding that has been presented in this book has already had a pretty long shelf life and it will continue to be a valuable resource and a good first introduction to stem cells for years to come.

"Although biology is global in nature, ethical opinions are not; and inevitably Scott's account of the social and political aspects of this subject are dominated by events in America. There is, however, a brief description of regulation in other countries, and a full range of ethical opinions is presented.

This excellent book touches on many critical aspects of research towards cell therapy, including the niche, characteristics of stem cells, methods of cell culture, trans-differentiation and nuclear transfer. In a book of this scope, there are inevitably a few mistakes, but it is generally thorough and accurate. Research with stem cells offers one of the most important opportunities to understand and develop new treatments for human disease. Stem Cell Now provides a good introduction to the subject."

--Ian Wilmut, director, Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Edinburgh University

Misunderstandings about the nature of stem cells have unfortunately held back U.S. progress in this area. The subject is quite complex and this book does a great job of making clarifications for those opposed to stem cell research and creating supporting arguments for those who are already in favor of it.

Scott's book explains stem cell research for laypeople, with enough personal anecdotes and wisecracks to keep the science-shy awake.

He doesn't exaggerate potential applications or limitations, and he explains that stem cells could be good for much more than stem-cell therapy. The thorough ethics section concisely and precisely covers everyone's views.

Here's the first two sentence from a review of the book in the magazine Nature on May 10. "Christopher Scott's little book Stem Cell Now is fundamentally a primer on stem-cell research, suitable for lay readers and freshmen. It offers accessible descriptions of stem-cell science and analysis of associated ethical and political issues."

What can I say ... if there is some line of medical research these days that could have promising results for the treatment of some of the difficult illnesses known, that is stem cell. This book provide a layman introduction to the subject, the different types of stem cells and lines of investigation. Also, half of the book is dedicated to the ethical problems that embryonic stem cell research is facing, specially in the U.S.

Scott has done an excellent job in concisely presenting both the social & scientific impact of stem cell science, in an engaging & objective manner. I particularly enjoy the sections that illustrate the complicated ethical arguments behind the current debates about the field.
'Stem cell now' is one of the most readable book in the market that provides readers with good introduction to this promising scientific field. I would also recommend Ann Parson's 'The Proteus Effect', which vividly presents stories about the scientists behind the scenes, and also Scott Anderson's 'Human embryonic stem cells', which provides more technical detail about the science.

This was more an advertisement for a product sold by the writer than an education piece. Not worth the money or time. The product is made from blue green algae which according to the writer stimulates the number of circulating stem cells. Interesting that the writer has in interest in the the company that makes this product. Very skimpy on explaining what stems cells are but if you need some very basic information and can keep from being sold a bill of goods, this can be helpful.