Gerald Schatten
Encyclopedia
Gerald Schatten is an American stem cell researcher with interests in cell, developmental, and reproductive biology. He is Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics
, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Professor of Cell Biology
and Physiology
at the University of Pittsburgh
, where he is also Director of the Division of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine at the university's School of Medicine
. Additionally, he is Deputy Director of the Magee-Womens Research Institute and Director of the Pittsburgh Development Center.
and was educated in the public school system, including at Stuyvesant High School
. He graduated with an A.B. in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1971, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Cell
and Developmental Biology
.
Postdoctoral Fellowship for 1976-1977 to conduct mentored research under the direction of Daniel Mazia
at UC Berkeley. He was also awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the German Cancer Research Center
.
He successively occupied the following positions:
Throughout his academic career, Schatten has also conducted research and taught at various other institutions. During 1985-1986, he was an Instructor in Molecular Embryology of the Mouse at the Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory and a Resident Instructor of Embryology at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
. From 1986-1987, he held a visiting professorship at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University
.
, cell biology, cell motility
, cell architecture, human and other primates assisted reproductive technology
(ART), reproductive and cell aging
, cloning
, transgenesis
, and stem cell
s. His research has been funded through the National Institutes of Health as well as the National Science Foundation
, the United States Department of Agriculture
, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
, and the NASA
.
Schatten’s work has been published extensively in many journals, such as Science
, Nature
, Lancet
, Nature Medicine
, Nature Cell Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, Genetics, Development, Developmental Biology, Biology of Reproduction, Human Reproduction, and the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics.
activation and cell division
during meiosis
and mitosis
. His group has demonstrated the importance of the sperm centrosome
-centriole
complex during mammalian fertilization (including humans), with the unexpected exception of rodents in which the centrosome is of maternal origin (see Selected Publications).
. In his first published paper, he demonstrated the utility of polylysine
and other engineered peptide
s that could adhere to cells, embryo
s, and intracellular structures for various microscopic applications and purifications (see Selected Publications). This technology is now widely applied and has solved the problem of holding cells for imaging. His team also published findings on imaging calcium
and other ion transients in egg, embryos and cells, as well as dynamic architectural alternations during fertilization and cell division (see Selected Publications).
stem cells to determine the potential of stem cell-based medical therapies and better understand cell and human development; the study of genetic
versus epigenetic
(environmental) causes for human disease; cloned transgenic disease modeling (using primates) (see Selected Publications).
and by a Korean lab he had links to. More recently, in 2009, he commented on the utilities and limitations of human disease modeling in genetically modified monkeys in the journal Nature. In 2005, Schatten came to widespread media attention when he broke off his 20-month collaboration with Hwang Woo-suk
, a Korean stem cell researcher, after reporting, first ethical, and later scientific lapses. In 2004 and 2005, Hwang claimed that his lab at the Seoul National University
had successfully extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos, a statement later proved false. Science
retracted both the 2004 article, in which Schatten had no involvement, and the 2005 article, which he participated in as a co-author. Schatten himself called for an investigation by his university, the University of Pittsburgh, in 2005. Finished in February 2006, the investigation committee concluded that Schatten was not guilty of scientific misconduct
, because he was not involved in the falsification of data.
’s International Cell Research Organization, a body devoted exclusively to research career training and mentorship. With Roger Pedersen (Cambridge, UK) Schatten established "Frontiers in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research", an NIH-sponsored advanced training course for new and established investigators. As with his National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
-sponsored "Frontiers in Reproduction" course at the Woods Hole laboratory, this endeavor brings physician-scientists together with non-clinical counterparts for full-time, side-by-side, hands-on research training.
; Patrick Steptoe Medal of the British Fertility Society (2005); the Stem Cell and Policy Award from the Genetics Policy Institute
(2005); Pioneer in Embryonic Stem Cell Research (2006) awarded by FrhESC at Stanford University and Council Member of the National Institute of Aging (2006). Schatten has also lectured widely and testified for the United States Senate
, The President's Council on Bioethics
, and the United Nations
.
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Professor of Cell Biology
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
and Physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he is also Director of the Division of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine at the university's School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
. Additionally, he is Deputy Director of the Magee-Womens Research Institute and Director of the Pittsburgh Development Center.
Early life and education
Schatten was born in 1949 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was educated in the public school system, including at Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School
Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...
. He graduated with an A.B. in Zoology from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1971, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Cell
Cell biology
Cell biology is a scientific discipline that studies cells – their physiological properties, their structure, the organelles they contain, interactions with their environment, their life cycle, division and death. This is done both on a microscopic and molecular level...
and Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology
Developmental Biology is a peer-reviewedscientific journal. It was established in 1959 and is the official journal of the Society for Developmental Biology. It publishes research on the mechanisms of development, differentiation, and growth in animals and plants at the molecular, cellular, and...
.
Academic career
Schatten was awarded a Rockefeller FoundationRockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
Postdoctoral Fellowship for 1976-1977 to conduct mentored research under the direction of Daniel Mazia
Daniel Mazia
Daniel Mazia was an American cell biologist, best known for his 1951 research with Katsuma Dan that isolated the cell structures responsible for mitosis....
at UC Berkeley. He was also awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the German Cancer Research Center
German Cancer Research Center
The German Cancer Research Center , is a national cancer research center based in Heidelberg, Germany...
.
He successively occupied the following positions:
- 1976-1985: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor of Biological Sciences and Molecular BiophysicsMolecular biophysicsMolecular biophysics is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary area of research that combines concepts in physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and biology...
at Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
; while there, he received a National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
Research Career Development Award. - 1985–1997: Professor of ZoologyZoologyZoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
, Molecular BiologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, Animal ScienceAnimal scienceAnimal Science is described as "studying the biology of animals that are under the control of mankind". Historically, the animals studied were farm animals, including livestock and horses, but courses available now look at a far broader area to include companion animals, for example dogs, cats and...
and ObstetricsObstetricsObstetrics is the medical specialty dealing with the care of all women's reproductive tracts and their children during pregnancy , childbirth and the postnatal period...
-Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin–MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin–MadisonThe University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
. Here he was also director of the Integrated Microscopy Resource and Senior Scientist at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center and at the Waisman Center for Human Development.
- 1997–2001: Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Oregon Health & Science UniversityOregon Health & Science UniversityOregon Health & Science University is a public university in Oregon with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland and a smaller campus in Hillsboro...
and Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology. He was also Research Director of OHSU’s Center for Women’s Health, as well as Director of Assisted Reproductive Technologies and Scientist at the Oregon National Primate Research CenterOregon National Primate Research CenterThe Oregon National Primate Research Center is one of eight federally funded National Primate Research Centers in the United States and has been affiliated with Oregon Health and Science University since 1998. The center is located on of land west of Portland, Oregon, in Hillsboro...
. - 2001 – present: Professor and Vice-Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences and Professor of Cell Biology and PhysiologyPhysiologyPhysiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
at the University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
, where he is also Director of the Division of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine at the School of Medicine. Additionally, he is Deputy Director of the Magee-Womens Research Institute and Director of the Pittsburgh Development Center.
Throughout his academic career, Schatten has also conducted research and taught at various other institutions. During 1985-1986, he was an Instructor in Molecular Embryology of the Mouse at the Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory and a Resident Instructor of Embryology at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research...
. From 1986-1987, he held a visiting professorship at the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Research
Schatten's research focuses on imagingMolecular imaging
Molecular imaging originated from the field of radiopharmacology due to the need to better understand the fundamental molecular pathways inside organisms in a noninvasive manner.- Overview :...
, cell biology, cell motility
Motility
Motility is a biological term which refers to the ability to move spontaneously and actively, consuming energy in the process. Most animals are motile but the term applies to single-celled and simple multicellular organisms, as well as to some mechanisms of fluid flow in multicellular organs, in...
, cell architecture, human and other primates assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology
Assisted reproductive technology is a general term referring to methods used to achieve pregnancy by artificial or partially artificial means. It is reproductive technology used primarily in infertility treatments. Some forms of ART are also used in fertile couples for genetic reasons...
(ART), reproductive and cell aging
Senescence
Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to those affecting the whole organism...
, cloning
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
, transgenesis
Transgenesis
thumb|300px|right|A diagram comparing the genetic changes achieved through conventional plant breeding, transgenesis and cisgenesisTransgenesis is the process of introducing an exogenous gene – called a transgene – into a living organism so that the organism will exhibit a new property and transmit...
, and stem cell
Stem cell
This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...
s. His research has been funded through the National Institutes of Health as well as the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, the United States Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
, and the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
Schatten’s work has been published extensively in many journals, such as Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
, Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
, Lancet
The Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
, Nature Medicine
Nature Medicine
Nature Medicine is an academic journal publishing research articles, reviews, news and commentaries in the biomedical area, including both basic research and early-phase clinical research. Topics covered include cancer, cardiovascular disease, gene therapy, immunology, vaccines, and neuroscience...
, Nature Cell Biology, Journal of Cell Biology, Genetics, Development, Developmental Biology, Biology of Reproduction, Human Reproduction, and the Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics.
Fertilization and reproduction
Schatten’s work on fertilization examines the differential inheritance of cellular components contributed by the sperm and egg, respectively, as well as the program of oocyteOocyte
An oocyte, ovocyte, or rarely ocyte, is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female germ cells produce a primordial germ cell which undergoes a mitotic...
activation and cell division
Cell division
Cell division is the process by which a parent cell divides into two or more daughter cells . Cell division is usually a small segment of a larger cell cycle. This type of cell division in eukaryotes is known as mitosis, and leaves the daughter cell capable of dividing again. The corresponding sort...
during meiosis
Meiosis
Meiosis is a special type of cell division necessary for sexual reproduction. The cells produced by meiosis are gametes or spores. The animals' gametes are called sperm and egg cells....
and mitosis
Mitosis
Mitosis is the process by which a eukaryotic cell separates the chromosomes in its cell nucleus into two identical sets, in two separate nuclei. It is generally followed immediately by cytokinesis, which divides the nuclei, cytoplasm, organelles and cell membrane into two cells containing roughly...
. His group has demonstrated the importance of the sperm centrosome
Centrosome
In cell biology, the centrosome is an organelle that serves as the main microtubule organizing center of the animal cell as well as a regulator of cell-cycle progression. It was discovered by Edouard Van Beneden in 1883...
-centriole
Centriole
A Centriole is a barrel-shaped cell structure found in most animal eukaryotic cells, though it is absent in higher plants and most fungi. The walls of each centriole are usually composed of nine triplets of microtubules...
complex during mammalian fertilization (including humans), with the unexpected exception of rodents in which the centrosome is of maternal origin (see Selected Publications).
Imaging and microscopy
Schatten also made contributions to imaging and microscopyMicroscopy
Microscopy is the technical field of using microscopes to view samples and objects that cannot be seen with the unaided eye...
. In his first published paper, he demonstrated the utility of polylysine
Polylysine
Polylysine is a small natural homopolymer of the essential amino acid L-lysine that is produced by bacterial fermentation. ε-Poly-L-lysine is used as a natural preservative in food products.-Chemical structure & function:...
and other engineered peptide
Peptide
Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond...
s that could adhere to cells, embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
s, and intracellular structures for various microscopic applications and purifications (see Selected Publications). This technology is now widely applied and has solved the problem of holding cells for imaging. His team also published findings on imaging calcium
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
and other ion transients in egg, embryos and cells, as well as dynamic architectural alternations during fertilization and cell division (see Selected Publications).
Transgenesis and stem cells
His more recent research has focused on the use of human and primatePrimate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
stem cells to determine the potential of stem cell-based medical therapies and better understand cell and human development; the study of genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
versus epigenetic
Epigenetics
In biology, and specifically genetics, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence – hence the name epi- -genetics...
(environmental) causes for human disease; cloned transgenic disease modeling (using primates) (see Selected Publications).
Bioethical considerations
Schatten has also published on the topic of scientific ethics, including a 1998 piece on bio-ethical aspects of ART, "Art before Science?", in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics as well as a 2002 article in Nature Cell Biology titled "Safeguarding ART". Soon after, Schatten helped expose cloning frauds both by the RaeliansRaëlism
Raëlism is a UFO religion that was founded in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël.The Raëlian Movement teaches that life on Earth was scientifically created by a species of extraterrestrials, which they call the Elohim...
and by a Korean lab he had links to. More recently, in 2009, he commented on the utilities and limitations of human disease modeling in genetically modified monkeys in the journal Nature. In 2005, Schatten came to widespread media attention when he broke off his 20-month collaboration with Hwang Woo-suk
Hwang Woo-Suk
Hwang Woo-suk is a South Korean veterinarian and researcher. He was a professor of theriogenology and biotechnology at Seoul National University who became infamous for fabricating a series of experiments, which appeared in high-profile journals, in the field of stem cell research...
, a Korean stem cell researcher, after reporting, first ethical, and later scientific lapses. In 2004 and 2005, Hwang claimed that his lab at the Seoul National University
Seoul National University
Seoul National University , colloquially known in Korean as Seoul-dae , is a national research university in Seoul, Korea, ranked 24th in the world in publications in an analysis of data from the Science Citation Index, 7th in Asia and 42nd in the world by the 2011 QS World University Rankings...
had successfully extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos, a statement later proved false. Science
Science (journal)
Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
retracted both the 2004 article, in which Schatten had no involvement, and the 2005 article, which he participated in as a co-author. Schatten himself called for an investigation by his university, the University of Pittsburgh, in 2005. Finished in February 2006, the investigation committee concluded that Schatten was not guilty of scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct
Scientific misconduct is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behavior in professional scientific research. A Lancet review on Handling of Scientific Misconduct in Scandinavian countries provides the following sample definitions: *Danish definition: "Intention or...
, because he was not involved in the falsification of data.
Research mentoring
Schatten has trained twenty doctoral and thirty postdoctoral fellows and he serves on the executive board of UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
’s International Cell Research Organization, a body devoted exclusively to research career training and mentorship. With Roger Pedersen (Cambridge, UK) Schatten established "Frontiers in Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research", an NIH-sponsored advanced training course for new and established investigators. As with his National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , created by Congress in 1962, supports and conducts research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations...
-sponsored "Frontiers in Reproduction" course at the Woods Hole laboratory, this endeavor brings physician-scientists together with non-clinical counterparts for full-time, side-by-side, hands-on research training.
Awards and honors
Schatten’s honors include: NIH Sadler Lectureship (1997); NIH MERIT award (1997); the Purkinje Medal (2003) awarded by the Czech Academy of Sciences; Daniel Mazia Award from Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station (2003); Elected Fellow (1997) and Delegate (2005) of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
; Patrick Steptoe Medal of the British Fertility Society (2005); the Stem Cell and Policy Award from the Genetics Policy Institute
Genetics Policy Institute
The Genetics Policy Institute is a 501 nonprofit organization that educates the public and promotes supportive public policy for stem cell research and other forms of cutting-edge medicine....
(2005); Pioneer in Embryonic Stem Cell Research (2006) awarded by FrhESC at Stanford University and Council Member of the National Institute of Aging (2006). Schatten has also lectured widely and testified for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, The President's Council on Bioethics
The President's Council on Bioethics
The President's Council on Bioethics was a group of individuals appointed by United States President George W. Bush to advise his administration on bioethics. Established on November 28, 2001, by Executive Order 13237, the Council was directed to "advise the President on bioethical issues that may...
, and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.