{"64083":{"#nid":"64083","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Ongoing Policy Uncertainty is Detrimental for Stem Cell Scientists","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile there is no doubt that the ethical controversy surrounding human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research has given rise to an uncertain policy environment, the true impact of years of frequent policy changes has not been fully assessed. Now, an article published by Cell Press on February 3rd in the journal Cell Stem Cell reports on a recent survey of several hundred stem cell scientists in the United States and begins to reveal the substantial negative impact that this uncertainty has had on them, including both those who work directly with hESCs and those who work with less contentious types of stem cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022In the United States, scientists have faced several hESC policy changes with changing administrations,\u0022 says author Dr. Aaron D. Levine from the School of Public Policy and Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience at the Georgia Institute of Technology. \u0022Most recently, a legal challenge to the Obama Administration\u0027s new stem cell policy led the federal government to briefly stop funding hESC research and to ongoing questions about the future of federal funding for this field.\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo better understand the impact of this ongoing policy uncertainty, Dr. Levine conducted a survey of stem cell scientists in November 2010 which assessed how the temporary funding ban and uncertainty about the future of federal funding for hESC research was impacting their work. Scientists reported a range of negative impacts associated with both the temporary funding ban and the ongoing policy uncertainty, but were more likely to indicate that the continued policy uncertainty had a substantial impact on their research plans. Scientists reported changes to the type or quality of science that they engaged in and delays in plans to begin new ESC projects and hire new staff, as well as hindered collaborations.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022It is interesting to note that much of the legal wrangling to date has focused on identifying which scientists are harmed by policy changes,\u0022 explains Dr. Levine. \u0022However, the results reported here conflict with judge\u0027s assertion that his ruling on the legal challenge would have little impact on hESC scientists and suggest that this injunction substantially changed the playing field for many hESC scientists in the United States as well as a lesser number of scientists working with other cell types.\u0022 The author recommends that lawmakers who aim to support stem cell research should strive for policies that reduce uncertainty for stem cell scientists and provide a clear legal basis for federal funding of hESC research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWritten by: Jennifer Musa for Cell Press\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbout Cell Press\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECell Press, an imprint of Elsevier, is committed to improving scientific communication through the publication of exciting research and reviews. Each of our titles is viewed as a must-read by the scientific community it serves. Cell Press primary research journals include the flagshipjournal Cell, as well as Neuron, Immunity, Molecular Cell, Developmental Cell, Cancer Cell, Current Biology, Structure, Chemistry \u0026amp; Biology, Cell Metabolism, Cell Host \u0026amp; Microbe, Cell Stem Cell, and, new to Cell Press, Biophysical Journal, and The American Journal of Human Genetics. Cell Press also publishes the Trends family of reviews journals, including Trends in Cell Biology, Trends in Neurosciences, and Trends in Cognitive Sciences. (www.cell.com).\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EStudy finds that an undecided court case on stem cell science is having a negative effect on scientists.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Study finds that an undecided court case on stem cell science is having a negative effect on scientists."}],"uid":"27310","created_gmt":"2011-02-04 13:53:27","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:08:06","author":"David Terraso","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2011-02-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"64133":{"id":"64133","type":"image","title":"Stem cells from laboratory of Todd McDevitt, Associate Professor at Georgia Tech","body":null,"created":"1449176720","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:05:20","changed":"1475894564","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:42:44","alt":"Stem cells from laboratory of Todd McDevitt, Associate Professor at Georgia Tech","file":{"fid":"191948","name":"Stem_cells_from_mcdevitt_lab.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stem_cells_from_mcdevitt_lab_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stem_cells_from_mcdevitt_lab_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3065884,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stem_cells_from_mcdevitt_lab_0.jpg?itok=LtI2OelK"}}},"media_ids":["64133"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.cell.com\/cell-stem-cell\/fulltext\/S1934-5909(11)00003-8","title":"Policy Uncertainty and the Conduct of Stem Cell Research"}],"groups":[{"id":"1183","name":"Home"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"9555","name":"aaron levine"},{"id":"1616","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"767","name":"Policy"},{"id":"167078","name":"School of Public Policy"},{"id":"167130","name":"Stem Cells"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EElisabeth (Lisa) Lyons\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPress Office, Cell Press\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E617-386-2121\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDavid Terraso\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECommunications and Marketing, Georgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E404-385-2966\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["elyons@cell.com"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}