Students

Naomi Koh Belic

Understanding Stem Cells, University of Technology Sydney

When thinking about the future of medicine, stem cell research is often held up as a holy grail, a resource of untapped potential that could solve many of today’s medical problems. However there is still so much that we need to learn about stem cells. Did you know that besides stem cells from blood, all other stem cell therapies (using fat stem cells, skin stem cells, retina stem cells to name just a few) are still in research, pre-clinical or clinical phases? Despite the early-stage of this research, today the hope that stem cells provide to the community is being exploited - stem cells are pitched as the cure to almost any ailment, and this excessive hype can be toxic. Most stem cell treatments should not be readily available, and yet they are. Biologist Naomi Koh Belic is focused on addressing these risks and making stem cell treatments safer for all by improving our understanding of these mysterious and fascinating cells.