Stem Cell Research Funding
The controversies over the ethics of stem cell research has led to restrictions being placed on the type of scientific study that can be funded by the federal government in the US. Laws first came into practice under the Clinton administration and were maintained under Bush’s governance. However, some relaxation of government funding of stem cell research using human embryonic stem cells has occurred during the Obama administration, along with significant private investment in such research and individual states, such as California adding their own funding.
Privately Funded Stem Cell Research
With privately funded stem cell research it may be difficult to separate the business applications from ‘pure’ scientific endeavor as the commercial aspect of any potential therapy is always a top priority. However, universities and medical schools are also under increasing pressure to show a return on their work with stem cells, which can both encourage and stifle innovation. Often, universities and private companies will combine resources and expertise in order to reach their goals which can add academic rigor to a clinical study and make it increasingly likely to lead to a marketable treatment becoming available. Those private companies carrying out research in house, which often consists of patient observations and pseudoscientific claims, should be met with some scepticism, especially where they are presented immediately to the media rather than peer reviewed prior to publication.
Stem cell claims are sometimes misrepresented by the media.
Misrepresenting Stem Cell Research
Exciting developments in stem cell research appear to make news headlines almost daily but these are often distorted and misrepresented, sometimes unwittingly, by journalists, study authors, and those funding the research. This is not to say that much of the research is not exciting, simply that such hyperbole risks inspiring hope in patients of an immediate cure for their disease or condition. Most scientists will present their findings with considerable caution and stem cell research is such a rapidly changing area of science that two papers published in different journals on the same day may appear entirely contradictory in some cases.
Realistic Expectations for Stem Cell Research
The realistic possibility of success for any individual research endeavor is quite low, which means that scientists working in stem cell research are to be encouraged to pursue various avenues of investigation in parallel. This allows for a substantial amount of trial and error and can help researchers rule out ineffective strategies quickly in order to rapidly progress the science. This is one of the arguments for funding embryonic stem cell research, along with the second major argument that restricting funding means that there is no federal oversight of such research which could then endanger patients. The Executive Order signed by President Obama in 2009 allowing federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and NIH oversight is the beginning of a new chapter in biotechnology development although other legislative challenges remain.
