Dreams, Genes, & Machines:
Are We Living Science Fiction?

Dr. April Pyle In conversation with Karen Kaplan, Science and Medicine Editor, Los Angeles Times
Thursday, Oct 10, 2019 | 7:30pm Mark Taper Auditorium-Central Library

The leaps and advances of science and technology to revolutionize human DNA have sparked fierce public debate about what the future of gene editing holds for humanity. Moving beyond some of the alarming sci-fi scenarios of gene editing, groundbreaking scientists are harnessing the power of these biological breakthroughs to save lives. At Dr. April Pyle’s laboratory at UCLA, she investigates human pluripotent stem cell biology and differentiation of these cells for use in regenerative medicine, including therapeutic approaches for patients with muscular dystrophy. Discussing with the Los Angeles Times’ science and medicine editor Karen Kaplan, Dr. Pyle takes the stage to shed light on the reality of stem cell research today.

Dr. April Pyle

Dr. Pyle is currently a Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at UCLA and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Stem Cell Center, the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. Using multi-disciplinary approaches to study human pluripotent stem cell biology and differentiation of these cells for use in regenerative medicine, her lab researches therapeutic approaches for patients with muscular dystrophy.

Karen Kaplan

Karen Kaplan is science and medicine editor at the Los Angeles Times. Before joining the science group in 2005, she covered technology in the Business section for 10 years. In a parallel universe without journalism, she’d have a career in economics, genetics, biostatistics or some other field that describes the world in math.

Image Credit: dna. courtesy of Jen A. via Flickr

This program is generously supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation