Melton Promotes Stem Cells

Cabot Professor of the Natural Sciences Douglas A. Melton has a lot on his plate these days.

With the recent passage of the pro-stem cell research legislation in Massachusetts, Melton has garnered attention as co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI).

As a representative for the stem cell biology being conducted at Harvard, Melton has helped push for national legislation loosening restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Since 1999, Melton has appeared time and time again before state and national communities, including Congress, to educate lawmakers on the science behind stem cells.

According to Harvard Senior Director of Federal and State Relations Kevin Casey, it was the efforts of scientists like Melton that ultimately caused Massachusetts to officially endorse stem cell research.

“I’ve been extremely impressed with the generosity that researchers such as Doug Melton have shown in making themselves as available as much as possible to the public,” said Casey. “Part of that has been opening up their laboratories to legislators.”

But Melton is not simply an advocate for stem cell research. As a scientist and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, his research has helped advance stem cell science significantly worldwide.

Last year, Melton announced that he had created 17 new stem cell lines from discarded embryos donated by a Boston in-vitro fertility clinic, more than doubling existing stem cell lines available in the U.S. at the time.

Melton has disseminated these cell lines without charge to the world-wide scientific community.

“Consistent with the general practice among academic scientists, these cells are a reagent that will be shared,” he said at the time. “We hope that sharing these cells will quicken the pace of discovery.”

Many researchers have commended Melton for his accomplishments.

“It takes a large number of cell lines to do some of the things that people want to do, so the cell lines are an important addition,” said Harvard Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology Samuel M. Kunes.

“I think it provides much greater latitude to scientists to define the potential of stem cells,” said Jerome E. Groopman, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Melton, who chairs the Life Sciences Council, also serves as an educator, teaching Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) 125, “Stem Cells and Cloning” and MCB 116, “Experimental Embryology.”

This year, with Melton at the helm, the Life Sciences Council redefined the pedagogy behind introductory life science courses.

“More than half of incoming Harvard freshman declare an interest in science, but less than half go on to graduate with a degree in science,” said Robert A. Lue, co-chair of the Life Sciences Education Committee, one of the subcommittees of the ongoing Harvard College Curricular Review. “We are losing potential students who don’t see excitement early on.”

As a result, next year will see the introduction of Life Sciences 1a and 1b.

“These life science courses are designed to be highly integrated, introductory courses to biology that will allow students to decide what subtopic of biology they want to go into,” said Lue.

Melton is also the father of two children, both of whom have been diagnosed with juvenile, or Type I diabetes.

He hopes to use the stem cell lines he has created to study this disease and eventually provide a cure.

“It’s a long process. There are steps forward, and sometimes there’s a step or two backward,” Melton said after the stem cell lines were created. “[My children] are pleased that [the research]’s progressing. But it’s not going to change their life now.”

­—Staff writer Risheng Xu can be reached at xu4@fas.harvard.edu.