by A.J. Hostetler

Times-Dispatch Writer

Virginia Commonwealth University scientists plan to "pop the hood" of human embryonic stem cells to understand how to control the function of the high-performance cells.

Although relatively little is known about how to control stem cells' incredible capability to develop into all the cells of the body, scientists are racing to use them to treat numerous diseases, such as diabetes and Parkinson's, or restore motor function.

VCU plans on a different approach, said chemical engineer Michael "Pete" Peters, one that examines stem cells' "engines" to delve into how they work and how they can be coaxed into maturing into a specific type of adult cell.

"Our approach has been to try to understand" issues of cell function and control "before we jump ahead into therapeutic applications," Peters said. "Nonetheless ... there's merit in both worlds."

Stem-cell research is part of the shift in VCU's chemical engineering department to expand its focus as the chemical and life-science engineering department.

"The change at VCU reflects a broader alliance between the school of engineering and the life and health sciences," said VCU Vice Provost for Life Sciences Thomas Huff.

Peters came to VCU two years ago as department chairman to orchestrate the shift. Last year, he brought on board two biomedical engineers to lead the school's stem-cell work, part of VCU's growing interest in regenerative medicine.

Engineers Raj Rao and Steve Fong are focusing on "what makes a stem cell a stem cell, and how do you keep it that way," Peters said.

Fong, who left the University of California at San Diego to join VCU, will apply his background in computer modeling and cell evolution to understand and then predict cell behavior. This will help advance what's known about how stem cells change over time and how biologists might control those changes, he said.

Rao, who arrived from the University of Georgia, is exploring what happens "when the horse gets out of the gate." That involves discovering what keeps the stem cells genetically stable and how that might apply to the study of cancerous cells.

Since arriving in Richmond, Rao and Fong have worked to put together new laboratories, which include students and assistants, computers, glassware and a freezer of $5,000 vials of human embryonic stem cells.

In addition to creating their labs and teaching, the scientists have been applying for private and federal research funds from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health to support their investigations.

No new human embryos will be created for the research. Technically, what Fong and Rao will study are stem-cell lines, groups of cells that have been cultivated in the lab and allowed to multiply for months to years without maturing into job-specific cells, such as those of the heart, blood, brain or liver.

The cells are from those stem-cell lines deemed qualified by President Bush in 2001 for federal tax dollars. Bush's policy applies to nearly two dozen cell lines, which many scientists, including Peters, say is inadequate for research.

Human embryonic stem cells, which were first isolated in 1998, are the building blocks from which come the body's more than 200 types of cells.

Scientists say the cells could someday rejuvenate or possibly replace ailing organs that cause such chronic illnesses as diabetes and avoid rejection by a patient's immune system. But many oppose the research because embryos are destroyed when the stem cells are harvested after about the fifth day of their growth.

This article was first published in the July 6, 2006, edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.