Community Preview of PBS Documentary Film "Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita" December 8, 2007

The Hayward Public Library in partnership with California State University, East Bay, is proud to present a free community preview of the new documentary film Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita, a documentary by Maria Finitzo.

Some consider stem cell research the Holy Grail of regenerative medicine. Others view the idea as morally wrong. But what would you do if your child became paralyzed from the waist down and you had access to the research that might allow them to walk again?

Follow a respected neurologist in the unknown territory of stem cell research. Dr. Jack Kessler is a neurologist with an expertise in stem cells. When his daughter Allison injured her spine in a skiing accident, Kessler turned his energies toward finding a method to repair damaged spinal cords. He has focused his research on developing a therapy using embryonic stem cells to regenerate the damaged parts of the nervous system. His research has taken him into a politically very sensitive area in which Catholic and fundamentalist Christian views about the beginning of life exert a powerful influence.

Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita will air nationally on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 10 P.M. Check local listings.

The viewing is free and everyone is welcome.

Visit the Independent Lens website to learn more about Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita. Share your thoughts about the film in Talkback--online at pbs.org/independentlens/stemcell.

Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita was produced by Kartemquin Educational Films. The Emmy award-winning series Independent Lens is jointly curated by ITVS and PBS and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) with additional funding provided by PBS and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of haywardpubliclibrary.