So I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. You know, about where my life is going, things like that. I know I want to go to vet school. I got that part down. But how? That's the biggest question.
What sets me apart? Nothing really. I feel as though I'm pretty normal. I'm a Zoology major, sounds exotic at first, but in reality, hundreds of other people study in that major too. Hmmm...that didn't set me apart, no different than hundreds of others. So what else? I like animals...oh wait, so does everyone else. I don't know anyone that sees a puppy and doesn't coo at them immediately. So what's next? Well, I'm in a sorority, but so are a lot of other girls. But it's a professional sorority, getting closer. It's a professional agricultural sorority, now that's a little different. But then there are so many girls in my sorority that want to be vets, it's basically a qualification. About half of just my chapter wants to go to vet school. Well, I guess I could start a blog. Now that could make me stand out, depending on how good I can make it.
So now you know why I'm here, writing random things about myself on a strangely named "science" blog. So let's start, shall we?
I'm just going to dive right in.
I'm in a developmental biology class (my first actual zoology class since I've been at school!) and we have been learning about differentiation of cells during development. Coincidentally an article has been published in Nature about stem cells, the masters of differentiation. Obokata (and others) have discovered that if you stress white blood cells from baby mice, they will revert back to undifferentiated, or stem, cells. They have called these beautiful little things STAP cells. If you haven't heard, look them up! I recommend looking up an article on the actual paper because it's pretty dense and a little difficult to understand. This hasn't been reproduced by anyone else yet but hopefully it can be supported. If so, then one day in the future we can put some white blood cells in a dish with a low grade acid and voila, a stem cell is born!
Stem cells could be used for a variety of different medicinal purposes. The one that has caught my eye is that of solving the age old question of infertility. I'm sure everyone knows someone who wanted kids so badly and just couldn't conceive. My aunt couldn't and it was so terrible. Some people really deserve to have children but nature has forbade them. What if we could solve that? Wouldn't it be great?!? These STAP cells could make this a possibility.
Let me play a scenario for you. A woman walks in with her husband. She has just turned 30 and they have been trying for a baby for 4 years. Her eyes are swollen, you can tell she's been crying. They have come to you as their last hope. You say, "Yes, I can definitely help you." They are surprised, in vitro fertilization hasn't worked, what can you do that's any different? Well, you have this magical little trick up your sleeve, and STAP cells are the answer. You ask to draw some blood. They undoubtedly agree, they have all their faith in you. You extract a white blood cell and put it in something that's not much stronger than lemon juice, pH of about 5.7. This little cell changes, and you mold its environment. This little STAP cell takes a new form, an oocyte (egg). You insert that into the woman and tell her that your work is done. It's a miracle. She's conceived and you owe it all to that pluripotent cell.
It sounds great, right? How can you argue with that? Big problem, solved. But human testing is years, and I mean YEARS, away. But we can dream, right?
