Archive for February, 2009

Attached is a copy of the letter CAMR just sent to President Obama urging him to act quickly and issue an Executive Order that lifts the federal restrictions on funding for embryonic stem cell research.

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MESSAGE to CUT and PASTE:

I ask you to immediately issue an Executive Order to reverse the federal restriction on funding for human embryonic stem cell research.

Progress has been stalled long enough. The 100 million patients who suffer from cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injuries, heart disease, ALS, and others diseases look to you to allow embryonic stem cell research to move forward.

Research cannot wait for legislation. An Executive Order from you today could offer hope for so many.

Ground Hog Day has passed, receiving its usual bit of press. Why does it receive any media coverage? Probably because we’re anxious to be rid of winter and are looking for any hopeful sign. Unfortunately Punxsutawney Phil didn’t have very good news for us this year, but maybe his prediction falls in line with other gloomy observations in the economic sector. While economic forecasts may be a lot more credible than one based on whether a groundhog sees its shadow, I worry about the public’s ability to discern the difference between established fact and feasible science.

What does all that have to do with stem cells? Well, let me share two anecdotes with you that might illustrate my point. Two weeks ago I got a late night call from a very intelligent, highly respected friend who was sure National Public Radio reported President Obama had reversed the Bush Administration’s position on limiting embryonic stem cell lines. “Wow,” I said, “that would be fantastic, but I haven’t heard anything like that.” I thanked him and decided to wait to see what the news reported the next day. He called back certain he was right and so excited by the news that human stem cell trials would start on spinal cord injuries. In his mind, the news promised great hope that I’d again be rejoining him at his country home to enjoy the outdoor activities we used to share.

Somehow he had heard the news he wanted to hear and understood the announcements in the most hopeful way. President Obama’s initial moves to change Bush administration policy did not include anything about embryonic stem cells, simply about funding for family planning through the United Nations. The announcement to do human trials for spinal cord injured patients was not a change in government policy, but the advancement of a previous application to the FDA for a phase 1 safety trial using embryonic stem cells. While all of the news was welcome, my friend had misunderstood the information and the scope of the announcements, probably erring in the name of hope.

Hope is a good thing; make no mistake about it. Medical research relies on hope—hope that science can lead us to new understanding of therapies and cures. But so far we can only hope for change in government policy. It hasn’t happened yet.

I am also afraid that people have placed excessive hope in stem cell research and that leads me to my second anecdote which, although hearsay, illustrates the point that uninformed exuberance may potentially harm patients being “treated” by unscrupulous practitioners. A cousin of my questioned me about her friend’s choice to receive stem cells as a treatment for arthritis. The well-heeled friend had rejected a knee replacement in favor of a therapy which the orthopedist acknowledged was not yet accepted by the medical community, but was certainly worth exploring. The stem cells were allegedly her own having been extracted and processed in the doctor’s own lab. What the patient was actually receiving, I have no idea. What I do know is that there are no current government approved trials to treat arthritis in this way. And I am fairly sure that the patient does not understand the risk/reward ratio of this physician’s treatment plan. What I fear is that like so many other patients, hope sometimes clouds judgment. As stem cell research advances, the hype may entice more patients to be human guinea pigs.