Posted on 03/23/2006 10:05:55 AM PST by Mr. Silverback
Last week, the South Korean government revoked the license of scientist Hwang Woo-Suk. The revocation followed revelations that Hwang, whose claimed breakthroughs in cloning made him a national hero, had fabricated his data. Hwang is now barred from “cloning or receiving human eggs for stem cell research.”
While the most notorious con job in biotechnology has been widely exposed, the biggest and most important bit of dishonesty is still open for business, literally.
Following the Hwang scandal, supporters of embryonic stem-cell research insisted that Hwang’s fraud said little, if anything, about the field as a whole. They agreed with Arthur Caplan of the University of Pennsylvania that fraud is “a problem that clings to an individual, not a line of scientific inquiry.”
If by fraud Caplan means the fabrication of data, he’s right. But there is a more basic bit of dishonesty at work in this field, one that does cling to the whole enterprise.
That dishonesty was summed up in a recent St. Paul Pioneer-Press headline: “Embryonic stem cells help patents, not patients.” According to Jean Swenson, what drives the push for embryonic stem-cell research is that it “provides greater research and patent potentials for scientists, research institutions, and biotech industry.” In other words, it’s potentially far more lucrative than research involving adult stem cells.
Swenson, “a quadriplegic as a result of a 1980 car accident,” advises readers: “Follow the money.”
That’s exactly what journalist Neil Munro did in a National Journal article titled “Mixing Business with Stem Cells.” As Munro put it, “the pecuniary interests of the physicians and scientists performing the research” is also “shaping the debate” over embryonic stem-cell research.
Swenson’s and Munro’s arguments would, no doubt, come as a surprise if all you knew about embryonic stem cells is what you read or heard in the mainstream media. There, the story is framed as though breakthrough cures and alleviating suffering were being obstructed by the forces of religious fanaticism.
But the real story is about “the commingling of scientific and business concerns,” where “promising science [is] sometimes downplayed” due to “financial interests.” Like Swenson, Munro cites how the potential of adult stem cells—about which there is no moral objection—is downplayed. Even researchers who have, in their words, “placed [their] bets on adult stem-cell research,” publicly minimize the potential of research they’re continuing to do.
The reason is money. A 1980 federal law allows scientists to “patent the results of publicly funded research.” They can “form biotech companies to develop patents” or “sell their patents to biotech or pharmaceutical firms.” In either case, they have a substantial financial incentive to depict embryonic stem-cell research in the most positive way possible.
According to Munro, researchers view these conflicts of interests as incurable. Well, the industry, of course, doesn’t want them cured.
That leaves Christians and other pro-life citizens with the task of bringing some honesty to a field where following the money leads from the lab to the corporate boardroom. The next time politicians try to push for more funding of embryonic stem-cell research, ask them to follow the money.
There are links to further information at the source document.
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Neil Munro did in a National Journal article titled “Mixing Business with Stem Cells.”
The Culture of Death has a vested interest in pushing embryonic stem cell research -- it further legitimizes abortion in their minds and it also brings in a lot of money. What is either never reported, or if reported it is "buried", is the fact that embryonic stem cell research has not yet yielded a single medical breakthrough. However, adult stem cells, umbilical cord cells, and now mentstrual blood cells have all generated dramatic life-saving results. These cells are available anywhere, anytime and do not require the taking of human life, but if you listened to the Culture of Death, embryonic stem cells are miraculous and any other stem cells are worthless. As I have noted many times, if there was even a glimmer of a chance that embryonic stem cells had all of the promise that they are said to, biotech companies would be pouring billions of R&D dollars into them -- the fact that this isn't happening can only lead to the conclusion that they realize the futility and unprofitability of it.
"The reason is money. A 1980 federal law allows scientists to 'patent the results of publicly funded research.' They can 'form biotech companies to develop patents' or 'sell their patents to biotech or pharmaceutical firms.' In either case, they have a substantial financial incentive to depict embryonic stem-cell research in the most positive way possible."
The University of Wisconsin, Madison has perfected this.
Their response? They refused to talk about results, and repeatedly accused me of not caring about the disabled. I signed off with, "Thanks for the empty talking points!"
I checked National Journal and you can't even do a useful search of their articles without paying up front. Sorry.
Lets see here now, you can't take an adult stem cell from one person and give it to another without rejection, not so with embryonic stem cells. The current embryonic cell lines are contaminated with a protein that renders them useless for therapy. Then there's a little thing called somatic nuclear cell transfer which can't be done effectively with an adult stem cell, rejection again being the result.
No one I've heard speak says that adult stem cell research is useless, both types have their uses and both types present different results.
Here is another article that references Munro with a bit more info on the money connections:
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/july/01072401.html
LOL! You get 'em!
She rarely does that anymore; let libs sit in for her, that is. I think she heard from her listener base after that one. She visits FR once in a while, and she & I e-mail and commisserate about Life in Madistan. We're going to go target practicing one of these days.
I've listened to her for quite some time now. She used to beat the snot out of John Pederson (her initial liberal sidekick), which was fun to listen to.
It's obvious she's what sells advertising dollars, though. I like her. :)
A Modest Proposal. We are devouring our own children.
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