The controversial issues surrounding the ethics of stem cell research and cloning will be the topics of discussion at this year’s annual faculty retreat, sponsored by the bioethics program.

The announcement of a successfully cloned human embryo has raised many questions among the ISU faculty, said Gary Comstock, coordinator of the bioethics program. He said an important question being asked is whether people should be engaged in cloning humans at all.

“If the answer is yes, then what restrictions, if any, should be in place to ensure that we observe the dignity of human life?” he said.

Don Sakaguchi, associate professor of zoology and genetics, will be one of several speakers at the meeting, which will be from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 10 at the Gateway Center in Ames.

“Stem cell research is controversial because of the source of stem cells,” he said.

One of the main arguments about the use of stem cells involves the cell’s original source – human embryos. Some believe adult stem cells are equally effective.

There are also questions about whether stem cells derived from animals or humans should be used, Sakaguchi said.

Sakaguchi will speak about the ethics involved in his own research.

He works with adult human bone marrow and stem cells from mouse and rat brains to learn how stem cells can be used to replace damaged or dying nerve cells.

Adah Leshem-Ackerman, adjunct instructor of zoology and genetics, will discuss the ethics involved with stem cell research.

Leshem-Ackerman said she hopes the faculty will learn effective ways to integrate bioethics into the classroom.

After receiving training at an institute in Portugal this summer, Leshem-Ackerman decided to use a case study to teach her students more about the controversy associated with using embryonic stem cells for research, she said. At the retreat, she will set up a similar situation so faculty can experience what her students did.

This part of the retreat will be interactive with time for participants to ask questions, said Comstock, professor of religious studies.

“I hope faculty will get an appreciation for another way to teach a controversial subject in the classroom,” Leshem-Ackerman said.

The presentation will give faculty a way to cover a controversial issue “in an objective and comprehensive” manor, Comstock said.

“Iowa State University is an international leader when it comes to science faculty integrating ethics into their courses,” he said. “This retreat is just more evidence that students at ISU are getting a well-rounded education in the sciences.”

In the past, invites were for faculty involved in life sciences, but this year all ISU faculty is invited to attend, Comstock said.