Source (http://gizmodo.com/5825171/judge-gives-embryonic-stem-cell-research-the-green-light)
QuoteJudge Gives Embryonic Stem Cell Research the Green Light
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth just ruled that funding for embryonic stem cell research doesn't violate federal law, clearing the way for more study. This is huge news for doctors, patients, and President Obama. Sucks if you're a religious conservative.
Obama hoped to expand funding to stem cell research in order to find treatments to diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. However, a lawsuit filed by two researchers, Dr. James Shirley and Theresa Deisher, sought to block funding by arguing that taxpayer financing for the destruction of human embryos is illegal. Not so much for moral reasons, but because their own research into adult stem cells could have been harmed by the competition.
Lamberth himself thought the suit would succeed and blocked funding last year, but the administration sent the case to the Circuit Court of Appeals, where his ruling was overturn. Lamberth finally reversed his decision today.
This is a good, exciting news. Even though the debate will for sure continue, scientists can now carry on with their work without dealing with so much politicking.
If we didn't have government meddling in scientific research in the first place, they wouldn't have had to worry about politicking at all.
Quote from: MrBogosity on July 28, 2011, 07:13:59 AM
If we didn't have government meddling in scientific research in the first place, they wouldn't have had to worry about politicking at all.
My thoughts exactly.
QuoteActually, stem cell research wasn't banned from private sector financing, just government financing. To place it into context, as one analyst said, governments should finance research and development which is not, at this point in time, profitable, such as space programs or embryonic stem cell research (which is different then umbilical cord stem cells, which is already commercial).
This is surprising because it's the first time a government actually does the right thing instead of what conservative christian voters keep crying about. Overall, this will cost them more votes, then gain them which is a rare case.
>Not profitable
I call bullshit.
If it wasn't profitable then why were so many firms doing it despite the "ban"?
Quote from: MrBogosity on July 28, 2011, 12:46:48 PM
If it wasn't profitable then why were so many firms doing it despite the "ban"?
QuoteMost of them are biotechnology firms that derive their profits from providing services like genetic testing, cancer inhibitors, DNA segments for testing procedures, the works. These are companies with long term development goals, and it's natural that they would finance their research into development of embryonic stem cell treatments. Moreover, much of the research done is performed on universities, which allocate the funds according to the needs of the project.
This makes for a limited financing, since the firms' finances are controlled by the market, and the university's by competing projects, donations and so on. If a research group tries to ask for funding from big companies that can afford spending some money, then the only thing they can bring to the table is a project, whose benefits one will see 10 years from now, and not to mention the current competition, not only from local research institutes, but in foreign countries as well. This doesn't sit well with such companies, and the only thing they can do is give pocket change in the form of donations, for advertising purposes.
There is a sad note on all of this- government help would have been great 10 years ago, but now, it's the government entering a bit late in the game. Scientists found what are called induced pluripotent stem cells, meaning they could turn your skin cell into a brain cell, and so on. The phase I clinical trials are a year underway in the US if I'm not mistaken, and considering the crisis the US is in, this will probably be too little, too late.
But hey, at least the thought counts
This screams "COMPANIES EVIL, GOVERNMENT GOOD"
QuoteThis makes for a limited financing, since the firms' finances are controlled by the market,
A market that has 60% of its income taken by a government that crowds out more science than it funds...
Quote from: MrBogosity on July 28, 2011, 05:30:33 PM
A market that has 60% of its income taken by a government that crowds out more science than it funds...
I referred the person to this article (http://www.jeffjacoby.com/7903/let-the-private-sector-fund-stem-cell-research), and he had this response:
QuoteOne should also mention that it is the same Geron corporation that initiated the phase one clinical trials of their embryonic stem cell in 2009 and developed the first human embryonic stem cell line in 1998. The problem is that there is an 11 year gap between those events. Moreover, this article more or less proves my point- when compared to other projects, that are government funded, stem cell research gets pocket change. It even says that some of the money in stem cell research were the governments'. Also, these are funds provided to the largest research centers. The smaller research centers are most likely left out, and government funding will go a long way to cover that gap.
In short, my argument is that while there is sufficient funding to have progress, that doesn't mean that there is sufficient financing to increase the pace of research to it's maximum. Not to mention that the problems most likely to appear during the clinical trials of Geron's project: rejection, tumors, so on, so forth, and we are looking at possibly another 5 years until a safe, cost effective treatment is developed. Of course, this sound a lot better then 10-20 years, and IMO, the government is a little bit late to catch this train, but this is considering the broader perspective of scientific research being done.
I also brought up the argument of government playing a political game with science such as deciding whether to fund research or outright ban it.
QuoteVery true, but one cannot deny the advantage that government funding will bring. It took the Apollo program only 8 years to get to the moon, and they were just beginning to explore space by sending a man into space that same year.
And as far as your particular quote he replied:
QuoteNo argument there. At the very least the government should siphon research into a particular area by allowing extensive tax breaks, in particular, for companies performing stem cell research. The government can help, but it can also hurt research, and it's a matter of perspective if one equals not helping to hurting research, as I do.