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An international gap in human ES cell research

Nature Biotechnology volume 24, pages 391–392 (2006)Cite this article

To the editor:

Controversy surrounds basic and translational research involving human embryonic stem (hES) cells. In the United States, federal debates about funding for research involving new hES cell lines have been delayed another year1. Legal challenges to the largest state-initiated hES cell funding program are proceeding slowly through the courts2. While policy makers struggle to define a stable, politically and scientifically tenable approach to supporting basic hES cell research, a high-profile case of fraud has led to the retraction of two of the field's breakthrough papers3. Today's combination of scientific and political turmoil further exacerbates worries about the legitimacy, potential and future of hES cell research.

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Figure 1: The number of publications using or deriving hES cells increases over time in each category and MTAs executed for access to the WiCell-owned H-lines led that trend.

References

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  3. Science editorial staff. Science editorial statement concerning stem cell manuscripts by Woo Suk Hwang, et al., 12 January 2006 (http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/hwang2005/science_statement.pdf).

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted with funding from the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Dean of Literature, Science, and the Arts, and the Life Science, Values, and Society Program at the University of Michigan. The authors gratefully acknowledge assistance from Carl Gulbrandsen and Andrew Cohn of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation as well as useful comments from Renee Anspach, Rebecca Eisenberg, Sue O'Shea, Woody Powell, Bhaven Sampat, Toby Smith, Matt Velkey and participants at the LSVSP Bioethics Seminar at the University of Michigan

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan, Sociology & Organizational Studies, 1225 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, 48104-2590, Michigan, USA

    Jason Owen-Smith

  2. Stanford University, Center for Biomedical Ethics,

    Jennifer McCormick

  3. 701 Welch Rd., Suite A1105, Palo Alto, 94306-5748, California, USA

    Jennifer McCormick

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  1. Jason Owen-Smith
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  2. Jennifer McCormick
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Owen-Smith, J., McCormick, J. An international gap in human ES cell research. Nat Biotechnol 24, 391–392 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0406-391

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