Financial Times Editorial - Stem cells in disarray
Financial Times Editorial - Stem cells in disarray
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: July 21 2006 03:00 | Last updated: July 21 2006 03:00
The world remains in serious disarray over stem cells. The spotlight this week has been on the US, where Congress unfortunately failed to override the first veto of George W. Bush's presidency; legislation that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research is dead, at least until after the autumn's mid-term elections. Next week the focus will turn to the European Union, where science and industry ministers meet on Monday to decide whether the EU can continue to give limited grants for human embryo research.
On both sides of the Atlantic, public support for embryonic stem cell research has been growing, as people come to appreciate the medical benefits that could flow from the work - including treatments for conditions from Parkinson's and spinal injury to diabetes and heart failure. But a powerful "pro-life" minority remains implacably opposed to any experimentation with human embryos, even when they are still a microscopic ball of undifferentiated cells and even when in vitro fertilisation centres would otherwise discard them as surplus to requirements.
While there are indeed difficult moral choices involved in deciding how far to exploit embryos for science, a democracy should not allow research with such a big potential payback tobe blocked by a minority, however strong its feelings. The 14-day limitfor embryo research, originallyrecommended by Britain's far-sighted Warnock Commission more than 20 years ago, has stood the test of time. And it is hard to see why science should not benefit from hundreds of thousands of surplus frozen embryos that have accumulated in fertility clinics and will eventually be destroyed if no use is found for them.
Because the US government is the undisputed global leader in biomedical research, through the National Institutes of Health, its inability to fund the creation and manipulation of new human embryonic stem cells has slowed down progress worldwide. Funding at the US state level is no substitute - and the field cannot expect large-scale investment from private industry because its commercial applications lie too far in the future.
Scientists where governments are more enthusiastic about stem cell research, including part of Europe and much of Asia, are not gloating over the funding misfortunes of their US colleagues, even though it might give them a short-term competitive advantage. They see that, if stem cell research is to pay off properly, it must be an international effort with Americans, Europeans and Asians playing a full part.
It will be an important symbolic step next week if the European ministers include embryonic stem cells in the EU's flagship Framework Seven research programme. Then the world should proceed towards international convergence of stem cell regulations.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: July 21 2006 03:00 | Last updated: July 21 2006 03:00
The world remains in serious disarray over stem cells. The spotlight this week has been on the US, where Congress unfortunately failed to override the first veto of George W. Bush's presidency; legislation that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research is dead, at least until after the autumn's mid-term elections. Next week the focus will turn to the European Union, where science and industry ministers meet on Monday to decide whether the EU can continue to give limited grants for human embryo research.
On both sides of the Atlantic, public support for embryonic stem cell research has been growing, as people come to appreciate the medical benefits that could flow from the work - including treatments for conditions from Parkinson's and spinal injury to diabetes and heart failure. But a powerful "pro-life" minority remains implacably opposed to any experimentation with human embryos, even when they are still a microscopic ball of undifferentiated cells and even when in vitro fertilisation centres would otherwise discard them as surplus to requirements.
While there are indeed difficult moral choices involved in deciding how far to exploit embryos for science, a democracy should not allow research with such a big potential payback tobe blocked by a minority, however strong its feelings. The 14-day limitfor embryo research, originallyrecommended by Britain's far-sighted Warnock Commission more than 20 years ago, has stood the test of time. And it is hard to see why science should not benefit from hundreds of thousands of surplus frozen embryos that have accumulated in fertility clinics and will eventually be destroyed if no use is found for them.
Because the US government is the undisputed global leader in biomedical research, through the National Institutes of Health, its inability to fund the creation and manipulation of new human embryonic stem cells has slowed down progress worldwide. Funding at the US state level is no substitute - and the field cannot expect large-scale investment from private industry because its commercial applications lie too far in the future.
Scientists where governments are more enthusiastic about stem cell research, including part of Europe and much of Asia, are not gloating over the funding misfortunes of their US colleagues, even though it might give them a short-term competitive advantage. They see that, if stem cell research is to pay off properly, it must be an international effort with Americans, Europeans and Asians playing a full part.
It will be an important symbolic step next week if the European ministers include embryonic stem cells in the EU's flagship Framework Seven research programme. Then the world should proceed towards international convergence of stem cell regulations.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 10:11 AM
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