Differential Impact of Science Policy on Subfields of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research

Seongwuk Moon,Seong Beom Cho,Dimas Tadeu Covas

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0086395

Seongwuk Moon, Seong Beom Cho + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0086395

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Apr 9, 2014
Citations: 8	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Sogang University, Korea National Institute of Health

Abstract

In this research, we examine how restrictive policy influenced performance in human embryonic stem cell research (hESC) between 1998 and 2008. In previous research, researchers argued whether restrictive policy decreased the performance of stem cell research in some nations, especially in the US. Here, we hypothesize that this policy influenced specific subfields of the hESC research. To investigate the selective policy effects, we categorize hESC research publications into three subfields—derivation, differentiation, and medical application research. Our analysis shows that restrictive policy had different effects on different subfields. In general, the US outperformed in overall hESC research throughout these periods. In the derivation of hESC, however, the US almost lost its competence under restrictive policy. Interestingly, the US scientific community showed prominent resilience in hESC research through international collaboration. We concluded that the US resilience and performance stemmed from the wide breadth of research portfolio of US scientists across the hESC subfields, combined with their strategic efforts to collaborate internationally on derivation research.

Highlights

Human embryonic stem cell research has huge scientific and medical potential but has provoked fierce controversy: the possible destruction of human embryos during the derivation of hESC lines has elicited serious ethical issues from religious and political communities
Identification of hESC publications In this research, we identified 993 unique hESC research articles, published in 230 journals; the authors were affiliated with 1035 institutions (Table S7)
We have observed that the US had been leading the hESC research since 1998 and that the Bush policy had differential effects across the subfields of hESC research; US scientists have been productive in the research of hESC differentiation regardless of the restrictive policy, which have been a source of US research

Summary

Introduction

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research has huge scientific and medical potential but has provoked fierce controversy: the possible destruction of human embryos during the derivation of hESC lines has elicited serious ethical issues from religious and political communities. Bush announced that federal funding would not be provided for research on the hESC lines derived after August 2001. While this federal ‘‘embargo’’ on hESC research was effective in the US, many other countries with a more liberal stance toward hESC research continued to invest public funds in this field. US scientists and policymakers began to debate whether the US performance in hESC research would be damaged by the Bush’s restrictions [1]. Rapid progress by such countries as China, Israel, Korea, and Singapore ignited intense debate over whether the US could still sustain scientific performance in this promising research. It was subsequently shown to be fraudulent, the announcement by Korean scientist Dr Hwang Woo-Suk that patient-specific hESC lines had been derived using a somatic cell nuclear transfer method caused a stir among US scientists over the restrictiveness of stem cell policies [2]

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