The Immortal Cell: One Scientist's Quest to Solve the Mystery of Human Aging

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Human beings have always hungered for immortality. But even in myths, those who find the secrets of eternal life often have to pay a high price. Michael West, CEO of Advanced Cell Technology, has spent most of his career as a biotechnologist seeking ways to make mammalian cells live forever. His successes put him at the center of political, moral, and religious firestorms. In The Immortal Cell, West offers not only a chronology of the emerging science of immortality, but a personal journal of his own path from strict creationist to ardent scientist seeking to shape human evolution. It was West and his cohorts who announced in 2001 that by inserting a person's own DNA into an unfertilized egg cell from a woman of reproductive age, they could create embryonic stem cells--cells that might be able to repair any number of problems for the DNA donor, including burns, cancer, degenerative disorders, and even normal aging. Accused of "playing God," West became one of the central figures in the debates on human cloning and was compared to Osama bin Laden by one histrionic news agent. In The Immortal Cell, West describes both the research and the furor that followed. Though the biology is a little tough for general readers, West does a fine job of using diagrams and step-by-step descriptions to explain his processes of cell culture and manipulation. The debate over therapeutic cloning of human cells is far from over, and readers seeking to better understand the debate will find West's book an unapologetic, one-sided argument in favor of human stem cell research. --Therese Littleton

Book Description

The extraordinary story of the breakthrough discoveries in cell aging, stem cell research, and therapeutic cloning, and the tremendous promise they hold for dramatically extending human life.
Dr. Michael West has been consumed with the mystery of science since he was as an inquisitive child mixing chemicals in his attic-turned-laboratory. Today, he stands in the center of a controversy so great that the list of those lining up against him includes President George W. Bush.
Once a devoted creationist eager to dispel theories of human evolution, Dr. West was set on a quest to find a scientific solution to the devastating effects of disease and death after the death of his father. He became immersed in the study of cell aging and the discovery of the cellular “clock” telomerase – the mechanism that controls cell aging. His work led him to found the biotechnology company Geron, a pioneer in the field of stem cell research. His new company, Advanced Cell Technology, is the only organization in the United States pursuing human therapeutic cloning research – research in the field of “regenerative medicine” intended to repair damaged and diseased human organs and tissues.
Unlike reproductive cloning, the attempt to clone a human child, therapeutic cloning is a process of growing cells, using a patient’s own DNA that is inserted it into an unfertilized egg cell to create embryonic stem cells, cells that hold the promise of repairing the damage of age and disease – in essence, making the cell young again. The potential for therapeutic cloning to treat afflictions caused by the loss of dysfunction of cells – from spinal cord injury and skin burns to kidney failures and cancer – is enormous.
Part memoir, part adventure story, The Immortal Cell chronicles the breakthroughs Dr. West and other scientists have made in biotechnology over the past decade – and the astonishing potential they offer us to cure diseases and improve the quality of human life.

Customer Reviews:

Refreshing tale of a driven scientist........2006-07-23

This amazing book reads like a Michael Crichton novel; full of suspense, moral predicaments, and uncertainies, with the added bonus of it being a true story. The author truly captures the intensity of being on the cutting edge of controversial science; give this to your kid and they will give up on 'cops and robbers' and want to be a scientist when they grow up. Read it yourself, and you will gain new insight into the controversy. Highly recommended.

more self promotion than the discussion of the subject matter.......2005-10-21

After reading so many positive reviews, I ordered the book, and expected to learn in-depth insight into the immortality of cells.
I was disappointed. This book is more of the author's personal story of pursuing the goal of revering aging rather than detailed look into the biological nature of aging. There are tidbits of gems here and there, but the density is low. If you are looking for amserious discussion of the subject matter, this book is not for you.

Nothing too special.......2005-06-18

This book is a narrative account of the author's attempts over the years to study aging. There was a lot of discussion about stem cells. I was hoping for more commentary on immortality, but he talked a lot about therapeutic uses of stem cells instead. The talk of immortality was mostly restricted to getting individual cells to reproduce indefinitely, rather than finding the fountain of youth. There were characters here and there who were introduced and faded away, but by and large the focus was on the author's character.

If you're looking for a dreamy, fountain of youth type of book, this is not really it. That is what I was looking for, so I was disappointed to see it was merely a recounting of events without a whole lot of future vision or insights. I think there are other books on immortality out there you may want to try.

A good and easy read which opens perspectives.......2005-02-15

In The Immortal Cell, Michael D. West tells about his lifelong search for solutions to aging and age-related illnesses.

West's quest starts with an ideal of compassion: if we can help it, why should we keep suffering from Alzheimer, Parkinson, macular degeneration, atherosclerosis, and so many illnesses associated with aging?

West first thought religion and the bible would provide him with answers to his questions about life and death. One is surprised that a bright young man with a scientific mind would have fallen for creationism for as long a period of time as ten years, but West finally recognized that creationism does not resist serious analysis and that at the end of the 20th century, it is just nonsense. Because of this however West has kept a certain understanding for the point of view of the more conservative religious parties.

West then tells of the scientific quest, amidst fierce competition between scientists and even corporations, to understand the mechanics of cellular aging: the discovery of the importance of telomeres, those chromosome ends that turn out to be associated with the cellular clock; the discovery of telomerase, the enzyme able to repair telomeres; the discovery of the tight relationship of such research with cancer research; the first experiments to rewind the cellular clock by implanting somatic cells DNA into egg cells; the cloning of the first mammals; and the experiments to produce embryonic stem sells in vitro, from somatic DNA and egg cells.

The most important result is the proof that cellular aging is not a fatality, as one could have thought initially: it is caused by a mechanism that we are now able to somewhat tweak. From there, there are two main therapeutic perspectives. First, the idea of fixing the aging cells of the body. A lot of research remains to be done in this area. So far, nobody has managed to find a mechanism to reliably deliver a fix to a significant number of cells, and the fix itself has yet to be developed. Second, the idea that any somatic cell can be used to produce embryonic stem cells. This opens the door to building tissues and even entire organs in vitro. Such tissues and organs could be then grafted to the donor without risk of rejection. The perspectives go from implanting skin and bone marrow cells to finding a cure for diabetes and atheroscleriosis. Ultimately, it may allow for entire organ replacement.

West is probably a better scientist than philosopher, but in the last chapter of the book, he makes a good case for therapeutic cloning, including addressing some religious questions regarding "life" with very sound arguments.

The Immortal Cell is a good and easy read. I had fairly high expectations about it because it was very well rated online, and I was a little disappointed by several aspects of the book. West could have communicated even better the excitement this research should generate. He neglects related developments such as the impact nanotechnology research could have.

He also fails to address exciting but disruptive perspectives. If in fact cellular therapy becomes one day mainstream, there is a clear possibility that humans could see their life expectancy increase dramatically, from about 80 years today in developed countries to... 100? 120? 150? 200? 1000? The social impact of such a change would be enormous. It is quite possible that West does not wish to speculate about such subjects so as not to disrupt current research. After all, his own work has put him in the middle of the controversy about research on human embryonic stem cells and human cloning.

WOW...what an illuminating read!.......2004-08-22

Such a fascinating look into the competitive world of scientific discovery and the breakthroughs that are being uncovered every minute behind closed doors. I love when he gets really technical into the science of the telomere and how this research can both help explain the immortal nature of cancer cells as well as the mortal nature of somatic cells. Shows how truly groundbreaking stem cell research can be (reverting mortal cells into immortal embryonic ones)! GREAT READ and highly recommended!

Book Description

This concise overview of the labor movement in the United States focuses on why American workers have failed to develop the powerful unions that exist in other industrialized countries. Packed with valuable analysis and information, Hard Work explores historical perspectives, examines social and political policies, and brings us inside today's unions, providing an excellent introduction to labor in America.
Hard Work begins with a comparison of the very different conditions that prevail for labor in the United States and in Europe. What emerges is a picture of an American labor movement forced to operate on terrain shaped by powerful corporations, a weak state, and an inhospitable judicial system. What also emerges is a picture of an American worker that has virtually disappeared from the American social imagination. Recently, however, the authors find that a new kind of unionism--one that more closely resembles a social movement--has begun to develop from the shell of the old labor movement. Looking at the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas they point to new practices that are being developed by innovative unions to fight corporate domination, practices that may well signal a revival of unionism and the emergence of a new social imagination in the United States.

Customer Reviews:

a great introduction to the American labor movement.......2005-07-15

In this book, Fantasia and Voss--two long-time, respected labor scholars--provide a great overview of and introduction to the American labor movement. The book was actually originally written for a French audience, so they assume you know very little about the American labor movement, explaining things like the National Labor Relations Board and the Taft-Hartley Act, instead of assuming you know about them. They also at times contrast the American labor movement with those in Eruope, which is also frequently illuminating.

Building upon Voss' previous work, they address the question of the supposed exceptionalism of the American working class--the fact that, unlike European working classes, they never developed a militant labor movement that fought for the interests of all workers and embraced socialist or social-democratic politics; instead, the labor movement has fought primarily for benefits for its members and embraced mainstream politics. But, Fantasia and Viss argue, the American labor movement was not always like this--in the mid- to late nineteenth century, the American labor movement was as militant, broad-minded and radical as its European counterparts, if not more so. What was exceptional was not the American working class, but the American capitalist class, which was far more hostile to labor than their European counterparts. This hostile social environment, in which any major labor organziation that showed signs of a broad vision of social justice was brutally crushed, lead to the thoroughly domesticated politics of the AFL-CIO, in which they agreed to act as business' junior partner, gaining increased wages and benefits for their members, in return for abandonning any broader vision and supporting the Cold War agenda.

Even at its height, this bargain excluded most workers outside the core manufacturing industries. When the US and global economy began to undergo major changes in the 1970s (changes Fantasia and Voss don't explain well--this is one of the few weaknesses of the book), US business decided this bargain no longer suited its needs, rolling back the gains workers had made, a process that accelerated once the Reagan administration came to power. Traditional labor leaders were totally unprepared for this assult and it looked like organized American labor might go down the tubes.

Fortunately, the decentralized structure of some unions, while allowing for local corruption, had also allowed for progressives to survive in some localities. They have responded to the crisis of American labor with innovative new tactics and a new vision that embraces the interests of all workers, not just union members. They have begun working with other community groups and organizing groups unions had traditionally ignored--people of color, women and immigrants. (This is the other big weakness of the book--Fantasia and Voss don't pay enough attention to how deeply entrenched racism, sexism and nativism were entrenched in mainstream unions. They treat these matters casually instead of as central to understanding the crisis of American labor). With the election of Sweeney and the New Voices slate to the leadership of the AFL-CIO, these efforts began to get some official support. It is in this new, social movement unionism Fantasia and Voss see hope. However, it faces huge obstacles, both in the form of the entrenched leaders of many labor unions, leaders who are often conservative, corrupt or both; and the continuing hostility of American business and government to organized labor.

Despite the weaknesses I have mentioned, overall Fantasia and Voss do a great job of summarizing the history of the American labor movement, how it got into the mess it is today, and possible avenues out of the mess. The book is hopeful without being naive.

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

A tale where the interest is in the unmasking of the antagonist, who is of the Foolkiller variety. Batman, a little bit further into his career than in Year One (naturally) is up against an extremely formidable opponent, and he must find out his secret before it is too late. Otherwise, death will result, and quite possibly his own.

The cons are vastly more than the pros.......2007-07-30

First, this is the standard info that I would be hard pressed to give any graphic novel five stars as those are reserved for books by people like Hemmingway, Twain, Fitzgerald, ect.

With that said, I will agree with other reviewers that you cannot call something Batman Year Two and not get comparisons to Batman Year One. This does not compare. The Reaper story is decent though and I will give kudos to the artwork; however there are a lot of negatives.

First, and foremost, Batman uses a gun. I don't know how DC approved this. It is totally against Batman.

Second, the demise of Joe Chill would just seem to detract from the entire Batman psyche as to why he is out night after night. However, the combination of this, along with a love interest, does have a good tone in that if things may have ended differently, Batman would have ended being Batman right there and been in love. So, that adds to the Batman mystic. I mean if Joe Chill is dead, and Bruce Wayne is in love, so early in the Batman crusade, does Batman just fade away and Bruce Wayne take back his life?

The origins of the Reaper are similar to Batman. The Reaper is just a more violent vigilante than Batman and the line as to what is helping v. fighting crime is much different. I wish we knew more about how the Reaper became so powerful.

I may be a bit hard with only two stars, but it isn't like a Miller story (four stars), and the story itself is not as good as something like Dark Victory (three stars) and there isn't as much Batman significance like the Killing Joke. So, it was hard to place.

A far cry from what Batman fans expect.......2007-03-07

Let me start off by saying, Year Two was not high on my list of must read Batman novels. But at this point I've read a fair share of them, and I eventually got around to it. It will never be considered one of the great groundbreaking Batman storylines, but that's not to say that it is unreadable.

What enticed me to read this was the fact that Mask of the Phantasm, one of the best Batman movies ever made, is loosely based on this. I believe MOTP not only improves upon this story in many ways, but helps me appreciate Phantasm even more for adding a better twist and a well executed finale.

The worst part about Year Two is Batman carries a gun. When I opened it up for the first time and I saw on the inside cover an illustration of him wearing a gun holster, it really threw me off. I don't think the way they rationalized it either (the Reaper utilizes a gun, so I'll fight him with his own weapon) was very convincing. It made Batman feel very out of character for a lot of it. And I won't even bother telling you who Bats teams up with and how much that bothered me.

Overall, not the worst, but it will never stand shoulder to shoulder with Year One, The Long Halloween, Dark Knight Returns, or any of the other defining Batman stories we've come to admire over the years.

Flawed, especially when compared to Year One.......2006-08-02

While the Batman: Year Two storyline from 1987 is not tied to Batman: Year One in any way other than chronologically, it is hard not to compare it to Year One. Released earlier that year, Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's Year One storyline was nothing short of a masterpiece, and redefined the origin of the Batman. Following in those footsteps could not have been easy for the folks behind Year Two.

Writer Mike Barr crafts a tale in which a young Batman encounters the Reaper, a vigilante killer who terrorized Gotham's criminals decades earlier. Meanwhile Bruce Wayne begins a romantic relationship with a woman who turns out to be the Reaper's daughter. In his quest to end the Reaper's comeback, Batman chooses to work with the mafia, who assign one of their top hitmen to work with Batman. The man is none other than Joe Chill, the mugger who killed Bruce Wayne's parents!

There's enough going for the story that it could have been a real winner. Unfortunately the handling is a bit sloppy. The dialogue is over the top at times, even by comic book standards, and coming so soon after Year One, Batman fans couldn't help but expect better. There are also some plot points that defy logic. Batman resorting to using the very gun that killed his parents is perhaps believable, but to do so after a single loss to the Reaper? Is Batman that much of a quitter? Since when does a single loss make the most driven character in all of comics take the easy way out? Bruce Wayne's sudden willingness to abandon his war on crime in favor of marriage to a woman he just met also stretches belief.

The artwork is better than average, and helps redeem Year Two somewhat. The first part was drawn by Alan Davis, who would go on to successful runs on Excalibur and Uncanny X-Men. The final three issues feature artwork from a young Todd McFarlane. Remember way back when he used to draw comic books? His work here isn't as good as his later Spider-Man work, but it is still pretty dynamic, particularly when it comes to Batman and the Reaper's huge flowing capes. Unfortunately his pencils were hampered by sub-par inking until the final issue, when he inked his own work. Still, when compared to David Mazzuchelli's unique take on Batman and Gotham City, both artists fall short.

In 1991, Barr and Davis revisited the Year Two storyline in a prestige format one-shot called Full Circle, which is also included in this trade paperback. The story took a look at the legacy left by the events of Year Two. It suffered from many of the same weaknesses as the original story, but Alan Davis's more mature artwork was a big improvement.

On its own merits, Batman: Year Two is a decent Batman story. The problem is that it brings to mind Batman: Year One, which is superior in every possible way.

NOTE: While Year Two was something of a disappointment, some of the better elements of the story were incorporated into the excellent Batman animated movie Mask of the Phantasm.

Not the best bat-collection, but there are certainly worse ones.......2005-08-24

This trade paperback collects two related storylines: BATMAN YEAR TWO, from DETECTIVE COMICS #575 - 578, and the one-shot BATMAN: FULL CIRCLE. While it may seem natural to combine these into one book, they don't go together very well in terms of story quality.

The unfortunately named BATMAN YEAR TWO immediately invites comparisons with Miller and Mazuchelli's BATMAN YEAR ONE, and in this regard, it doesn't hold up; however, it is a fairly engaging story. In the second year of Bruce Wayne's war on crime, he is confronted with the return of The Reaper, a crime fighter from Gotham's past. The problem is, this Reaper is little different from the criminal element in Gotham City, and so Batman works both with and without the police department to bring him in. The quest to bring down the Reaper causes no small share of problems in the life of Bruce Wayne, and by the end of the story, Batman has been put through the ringer. While Mike Barr is not my favorite Batman writer, he does a good job of keeping the plot focused. The art chores for BATMAN YEAR TWO begin with Alan Davis, one of the best in the biz, doing only one issue, with justly-maligned Todd McFarlane picking up parts 2 - 4. Artwise, the first two parts of McFarlane's work are actually pretty good, but this is due more to the skilled inking of Alfredo Alcala than to any talent of Mr. McFarlane. This can be clearly seen in part 4, where McFarlane flies solo - trust me, it shows. If I have any complaint story-wise, I'd say that Batman seems far too capable and confident. Even after a year on the job, I wouldn't expect him to be this resourceful.

Next is BATMAN: FULL CIRCLE, a completely unworthy follow-up prestige format tale by Barr & Davis. In this story, the Reaper has again returned, spreading fear throughout Gotham and playing with Batman Batman must confront the secrets of his parents' murders once again - at the risk of his own sanity (yawn!). This story was by no means up to par with Year Two; in fact, it was very trite and boring, with all kinds of inexplicable developments that were conveniently explained as having happened either during or as a result of YEAR TWO.

So, this trade collection starts with a bang and ends with a whimper. You may be better off if you can find the original trade collection of BATMAN YEAR TWO, which omits the FULL CIRCLE story. It certainly works better that way.

Batman Detective Comics Year Two Part 4 No. 578 Sep 1987

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Batman Detective Comics Year Two Part 4 No. 578 Sep 1987
Mike W. Barr
Manufacturer: DC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000NXKOOQ

Detective Comics #575 Batman (Year Two - Part 1)

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Detective Comics #575 Batman (Year Two - Part 1)
Mike W. Barr
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000NVAO66

Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 1 -- June 1987 No. 575

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Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 1 -- June 1987 No. 575
Davis and Neary Barr
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ASIN: B000S5S3TM

Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 2 -- July 1987 No. 576

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Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 2 -- July 1987 No. 576
McFarlane and Alcala Barr
Manufacturer: DC Comics
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ASIN: B000S5Q7CM

Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 3 -- Aug. 1987 No. 577

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Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 3 -- Aug. 1987 No. 577
McFarlane and Alcala Barr
Manufacturer: DC Comics
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ASIN: B000S5S630

Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 4 -- Sept. 1987 No. 578

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Detective Comics Batman Year Two Part 4 -- Sept. 1987 No. 578
McFarlane and Alcala Barr
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: B000S5S73O

Robin: Year One (Number Two of Four) DC Comics (Batman) (Book 2)

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Robin: Year One (Number Two of Four) DC Comics (Batman) (Book 2)
Chuck Dixon , Scott Beatty , Jadier Palido , and Robert Campanella
Manufacturer: DC Comics
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: B000MH62TE

Batgirl Year One # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 (The Complete Nine Part Limited Series!)

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Batgirl Year One # 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9 (The Complete Nine Part Limited Series!)
Scott Beatty , and Chuck Dixon
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ASIN: B000VAQ256

Product Description

Batgirl Year One. The complete 9 part limited series. 2003 DC comics. Includes Book One: Masquerade, Book Two: Future-Tense, Book Three: Afterglow, Book Four: Cave Dwellers, Book Five: Moth to a Flame, Book Six: Bird of Prey, Book Seven: Hearts Afire, Book Eight: Seasoned Crime Fighter, and Book Nine: Ashes and Blood.

Batman Detective Comics Year Two Part 3 No. 577 Aug 1987

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Batman Detective Comics Year Two Part 3 No. 577 Aug 1987
Mike W. Barr
Manufacturer: DC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic

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ASIN: B000NXIR5E

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