Question

In terms of the stem cell research organization including project description, project implementation and project evaluation.

Answer 1

In 1998, researchers established the first human embryonic stem cell line. Their scientific triumph triggered an ethics and policy argument that persists today. Bioethicists, religious leaders, government officials, patient advocates, and scientists continue to debate whether this research poses a promise, a threat, or a mixed ethical picture for society. Scientists are understandably excited about the knowledge that could come from studying human embryonic stem cells. Most of them believe these cells offer a precious opportunity to learn more about why diseases develop and how they might be prevented or attacked. In their quest to gain support for stem cell research, scientists and others have claimed that the research could generate cures and treatment for everything from heart disease to cancer.

Although most people are now familiar with claims about the diverse medical benefits stem cell research might deliver, they are less familiar with the diverse ethical issues relevant to the research. Most of the ethics debate focuses on the morality of destroying human embryos for the benefit of others. This is an important issue, but stem cell research raises other important ethical issues — issues that have received relatively little attention in the public arena. After more than a decade of narrowly focused analysis, it is time to expand the discussion. The debate over embryonic stem cell research should consider a diversity of ethical and policy issues. Many of the ethical and policy issues that stem cell research presents apply to biomedical research in general, such as questions about appropriate research priorities and allocation of limited resources for research and health care. In this sense, the debate over stem cell research offers an opportunity to examine a variety of ethical and policy issues raised by biomedical innovation. Stem cell research raises general questions about the appropriate allocation of government and private resources in biomedicine. One set of allocation questions addresses priority setting in biomedical research. The other set of allocation questions concerns the relative priority of research versus health care in funding decisions. These are questions that apply to biomedical research in general, but stem cell research nicely illustrates the relationship between research funding choices and social justice considerations. Stem cell research is just one form of promising research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest public funder of biomedical science, supports many kinds of research offering opportunities to advance knowledge. The research portfolios of industry and nonprofit organizations also reveal an array of promising research areas. But neither the public nor the private sector can support every promising research project. Every research funding source has limited resources. As a result, these entities face hard choices about where to invest their limited dollars.

Conclusion

Stem cell research could generate knowledge that would allow certain individuals to live longer and better lives. It would be a happy event if in the future stem cell research produced relief for at least some individuals with illnesses or injuries not curable at present. Yet there are no guarantees that this happy future will materialize. Although we may support and admire the scientists devoted to developing a better understanding of human health and disease, we should also be aware that no one can ensure that effective treatments will emerge. The therapeutic benefits of stem cell research are possible, but uncertain. And many other areas of biomedical science fit this description. Stem cell research is not the only field in which exciting discoveries are occurring and future patients may benefit from investments in these areas, too. This is not a reason to deny support to stem cell research, but it is a reason to consider it in a larger context. Advocates weaken their case when they portray stem cell research as if it were the only promising research around. More government support for stem cell research could help patients in the future, but so could support for research in other biomedical fields. Participants in the stem cell debate should also recognize deficiencies in the health system denying patients the benefits of past research. Advocacy for stem cell research should include advocacy for a better health system. Without improvements in this system, any therapeutic benefits developed through stem cell research will be unjustly limited to patients fortunate enough to have access to the best health care. Moreover, the stem cell controversy should press us to reexamine existing research and health care priorities. Should officials devote more funds to research aimed at translating laboratory discoveries into actual clinical benefits?⁶⁴ Should they channel more funds to studies that could have a significant public health impact? And what level of investment should the U.S. make in programs aimed at developing and delivering affordable care to disadvantaged people in this nation and around the world? These are ethical questions with immense significance, but they are often overlooked amid the excitement over specific research discoveries like those involving stem cell research.