PerspectivesAre you interested in submitting a Perspective Article? Be sure to read The Science Advisory Board's Editorial Guides for Perspective Articles. Click here. No News is Bad News by Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D. Stem cell research and cloning have been much in the news over the past five months. Unfortunately, the news has gotten too far ahead of the science involved and that is not good either for the news or science. President Bush announced on August 9th in a nationally televised address to the nation that he had decided to restrict public funding for embryonic stem cell research to only those cell lines already in existence as of that day. He said that there were 60 cell lines in existence around the world and that these should prove adequate to allow embryonic stem cell research to proceed. He also made it very clear that he would oppose any research that required the destruction of embryos or any research upon embryos actually being disposed of at infertility clinics in the United States. In essence, his position was that there are 60 stem cells lines already in existence that have been created from human embryos, which already have been destroyed. He regretted the destruction of those embryos, but what was done was done. Scientists may use cells from those human embryos in publicly funded research. But, since the derivation of any new cell lines would require the destruction of more human embryos, no other cell lines -- not now and not ever -- can be used. Bush's position was presented as a compromise. And many in the media accepted it as such on fact value. But it has become very clear since the President gave his speech that not only is his position not a compromise, his position amounts to a ban on embryonic stem cell research. The sixty cells lines that the President spoke about do not exist. Many of the cell lines are in other nations where private companies control them. They may or may not want to make them available to publicly funded scientists here since they may see American researchers as potential competitors. Many of the cell lines are of unknown quality. Still others are tied up by patents that promise to enrich lawyers who represent organizations such as Geron, Advanced Cell Technology and WiCell but to frustrate researchers who are already finding it hard navigating the restrictions imposed upon them by private concerns. Many of the existing cell lines have been grown on beds of irradiated mouse cell lines meaning that for all practical purposes any cells derived from them could never be used in clinical trials. The scientific community knew most of this soon after Bush offered his compromise back in August. Yet, little was said in the way of protest either of the patent inadequacy of the 60 cell lines or the President's statement that the further derivation of more stem cells lines is ethically wrong by professional scientific associations or by leaders in the scientific community. The news of a compromise had nothing to do with the facts about the science of stem cell research. More recently a private company, Advanced Cell Technology announced the Sunday after Thanksgiving that it had successfully cloned human embryos. The CEO of the company has spent the weeks since that time touting the value of cloned human embryos as sources of stem cells that will allow people to create their own genetically identical cells without facing problems of biological rejection. But, again the news has outstripped the science to the detriment of both. Advanced Cell Technology has not shown that human embryo clones can be created. The few eggs into which they put DNA did not live long enough to establish that they were under the genetic control of the transplanted genetic material. Indeed the fact that Advanced Cell chose to make its announcement in Scientific American -- not a publication normally used to publicize breakthroughs -- and in a new, little-known internet journal while mounting a massive PR campaign led by an exclusive tie-in to US News and World Report obscured how little they had achieved scientifically. Worse, the talk of cloned human embryos sent the President and Pope into a moral tizzy, had many right wing commentators such as William Kristol screeching for bans on human cloning and set the press into an absolute feeding frenzy as they raced one another to get the story on this 'breakthrough'. The science of embryonic stem cell research is at least five years away from curing anyone. The science of getting cloned human embryos to turn into useful and safe transplantable cells may be further away if it is even possible at all. What we are left with is a public that is wallowing in hype, patients who cannot wait to be cured of their paralysis or Parkinsonism and scientists who are getting credit and financial backing for scientific undertakings that are to say the least iffy. Neither science nor the news is well served by hype. Hype breeds hope but hope is cruel when there is little in reality to give to the sick and disabled. And it is simply morally irresponsible to have public policy built on a foundation of weak science and hyperbolic headlines. No news is not always good news but when there is no news science and the media must do a better job in so informing the public and political leaders. ### ADDITIONAL RESOURCES### Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D. Director, Center for Bioethics University of Pennsylvania ### << Previous Next >> [ View All Perspectives ] |
|