Researchers examine methods to educate public on stem cells

SALISBURY COVE – With stem cell research emerging as a key issue in the presidential campaign, scientists are grappling with ways to educate the public before less-informed spokespeople take the lead on the matter.

“While there are plenty of people who want to speak out on this issue, they’re not scientists,” Dr. Leonard I. Zon, a professor of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston, observed during a weekend symposium on the issue. “Everybody has their own personal beliefs, and that’s the hard part: You need a sound bite that fits into multiple beliefs.”

The stem cell research symposium was sponsored by Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory and The Jackson Laboratory. Scientists from across the country attended the three-day symposium, which was capped off by a public discussion of the issue Saturday night.

Moderator Ronald McKey of the National Institutes of Health noted that there was growing concern among researchers with the federal government’s current position on stem cell research. He said that because of federal funding restrictions, other countries such as Great Britain and South Korea were moving into the forefront on research funding.

“Everything we do has to be done with private philanthropy,” said McKey.

President Bush adopted a policy that prohibited the government from financing research on any lines of stem cells developed after August 2001. Though the government believed there were 79 existing cell lines at the time of the Bush edict, it later turned out that only 21 lines existed.

“That is insignificant to move the line forward,” said McKey. “This really has hampered the field in many ways and is inhibiting young researchers from moving into the field.”

Democratic nominee Sen. John F. Kerry has strongly criticized the administration’s position on stem cell research and even showcased Ron Reagan, son of the former president who died of Alzheimer’s disease, during his party’s convention. Kerry supports federal funding for stem cell research.

“I think this is a technology that is going to go on,” said McKey. “We’ve had three years of advances, and it’s probably time for a policy change. With everything that’s being done, I really think it’s time for a new policy.”

Stem cell researchers believe that the material holds the key to developing treatments for Alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease and scores of other illnesses.

The difficulty some people have with the issue is the source of the cells. Some research cells are harvested from frozen embryos stored at fertility clinics while others are taken from aborted fetuses.

Because the dilemma for some is moral rather than political, it becomes imperative for scientists to clarify the issue and speak out on the benefit of stem cell research, according to Dr. Thomas T. Chen, professor at the University of Connecticut.

“If you develop an embryo and then destroy it, that creates a problem,” noted Chen. “We scientists have to take an active role. We have to let the public know. I believe that scientists, particularly those interested in stem cell research, should take an active role in public education.”

Dr. Louis M. Kunkel, director of the Children’s Hospital’s genomics program, reminded his colleagues that cures from stem cell research could be decades in the future. He said that as the public becomes more aware of the research, support and understanding were likely to grow.

Kunkel recalled that when a major genetic breakthrough on muscular dystrophy was discovered in 1990, many thought a cure was imminent. He remembered telling friends that the annual fund-raising telethon would no longer be necessary.

“I can’t believe I ever said that,” said Kunkel. “We really can’t mislead the public about where these things are and what it’s going to take. It’s going to take a long time.”