Embryonic stem cells, Francis Collins, and the NIH

Abstract

On July 6, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued their final guidelines on the reinstatement of federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. 2 days later, President Barack Obama named the Christian geneticist Francis Collins as his choice as the next head of the agency. This deft two-step seems orchestrated to help patch up the unhappy relationship between an apprehensive public and the scientists whose cutting-edge medical research is currently being stifled.Government funding for embryonic stem-cell research was all but cut off by the Bush administration when it announced that only cell lines created before Aug 9, 2001, could be used in federally sponsored projects. That Obama would overturn this seemingly arbitrary stipulation was perhaps inevitable, but it nevertheless needed to be done sensitively. In a country that only last month saw a doctor shot dead for carrying out late-stage abortions, a research area with no current therapeutic benefit that results in the destruction of human embryos is a seriously controversial one.Embryonic stem cells are obtained from the inner cell mass of blastocysts aged 4–5 days, and differ from those obtained from adult tissue by their pluripotency and by their ready growth and expansion in culture. However, any clinical application is still many years away. The first phase I clinical trial—of the safety of GRNOPC1 cells in patients with severe spinal cord injuries—was granted approval only in January this year. The first patients are yet to be recruited. Meanwhile, Jao Ho Lee and colleagues in Newcastle, UK, claimed last week to have grown motile spermatozoa from human embryonic stem cells. Again, it will be 5 years or so before the technique is perfected. In the mean-time, the researchers hope to use it to discern how some forms of infertility develop.The ethical restraints within the new NIH guidelines should go some way towards neutralising the moral unease felt by many about the use of human embryonic stem cells. Crafted on the basis of a public consultation that attracted 49 000 contributions, the final guidelines stipulate that: only “spare” embryos originally created for the purpose of reproduction may be used; that explicit consent for the use of these embryos for research purposes is obtained, free from coercion or payment; and that, when possible, the individual responsible for the donor's reproductive care should not be the same as the one proposing to use the spare embryos for research.If Collins is confirmed as the new Director of NIH, it would be another crucial bridge between scientific progress and a concerned public. This former Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute led the Human Genome Project to its successful culmination, under budget, in 2003, and can count among his impressive scientific credentials the discovery of genes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF), neurofibromatosis, Huntington's disease, Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, he is also a dedicated Christian. His 2006 book The Language of God sets out a cogent argument for how science and religion are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Similarly, his foundation BioLogos aims to “address the escalating culture war between science and faith in the United States”. Yet for all his thoughtful analysis of the role of God in evolution, Collins devotes much less column space to his views on abortion, in-vitro fertilisation, or the use of embryonic stem cells.From the scientific world's perspective, Collins's credibility is in little doubt. Statements of support for his nomination were quick to arrive from the likes of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Association for Cancer Research, the CF Foundation, and the advocacy alliance Science!America, whose Chair called it a “perfect” nomination. From a faith-based perspective, the Christian Post gave a balanced report of Collins's proposed appointment, but some religious commentators have mocked his “insipid theology”.Progress in embryonic stem-cell research, as with much human progress, will depend on the continued ability of key individuals to wear several hats at the same time. Of course this requires a degree of personal compromise. How could it not? But going forward means refusing to be tugged sideways. We therefore congratulate Collins on his presumptive appointment as the next Director of NIH and welcome a new era of stem-cell research in the USA. On July 6, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued their final guidelines on the reinstatement of federal funding for research on embryonic stem cells. 2 days later, President Barack Obama named the Christian geneticist Francis Collins as his choice as the next head of the agency. This deft two-step seems orchestrated to help patch up the unhappy relationship between an apprehensive public and the scientists whose cutting-edge medical research is currently being stifled. Government funding for embryonic stem-cell research was all but cut off by the Bush administration when it announced that only cell lines created before Aug 9, 2001, could be used in federally sponsored projects. That Obama would overturn this seemingly arbitrary stipulation was perhaps inevitable, but it nevertheless needed to be done sensitively. In a country that only last month saw a doctor shot dead for carrying out late-stage abortions, a research area with no current therapeutic benefit that results in the destruction of human embryos is a seriously controversial one. Embryonic stem cells are obtained from the inner cell mass of blastocysts aged 4–5 days, and differ from those obtained from adult tissue by their pluripotency and by their ready growth and expansion in culture. However, any clinical application is still many years away. The first phase I clinical trial—of the safety of GRNOPC1 cells in patients with severe spinal cord injuries—was granted approval only in January this year. The first patients are yet to be recruited. Meanwhile, Jao Ho Lee and colleagues in Newcastle, UK, claimed last week to have grown motile spermatozoa from human embryonic stem cells. Again, it will be 5 years or so before the technique is perfected. In the mean-time, the researchers hope to use it to discern how some forms of infertility develop. The ethical restraints within the new NIH guidelines should go some way towards neutralising the moral unease felt by many about the use of human embryonic stem cells. Crafted on the basis of a public consultation that attracted 49 000 contributions, the final guidelines stipulate that: only “spare” embryos originally created for the purpose of reproduction may be used; that explicit consent for the use of these embryos for research purposes is obtained, free from coercion or payment; and that, when possible, the individual responsible for the donor's reproductive care should not be the same as the one proposing to use the spare embryos for research. If Collins is confirmed as the new Director of NIH, it would be another crucial bridge between scientific progress and a concerned public. This former Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute led the Human Genome Project to its successful culmination, under budget, in 2003, and can count among his impressive scientific credentials the discovery of genes associated with cystic fibrosis (CF), neurofibromatosis, Huntington's disease, Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, he is also a dedicated Christian. His 2006 book The Language of God sets out a cogent argument for how science and religion are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Similarly, his foundation BioLogos aims to “address the escalating culture war between science and faith in the United States”. Yet for all his thoughtful analysis of the role of God in evolution, Collins devotes much less column space to his views on abortion, in-vitro fertilisation, or the use of embryonic stem cells. From the scientific world's perspective, Collins's credibility is in little doubt. Statements of support for his nomination were quick to arrive from the likes of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Association for Cancer Research, the CF Foundation, and the advocacy alliance Science!America, whose Chair called it a “perfect” nomination. From a faith-based perspective, the Christian Post gave a balanced report of Collins's proposed appointment, but some religious commentators have mocked his “insipid theology”. Progress in embryonic stem-cell research, as with much human progress, will depend on the continued ability of key individuals to wear several hats at the same time. Of course this requires a degree of personal compromise. How could it not? But going forward means refusing to be tugged sideways. We therefore congratulate Collins on his presumptive appointment as the next Director of NIH and welcome a new era of stem-cell research in the USA. Department of ErrorThe Lancet. Embryonic stem cells, Francis Collins, and the NIH. Lancet 2009; 374: 175—In this Editorial (July 18), the second sentence of the sixth paragraph should have read: “Statements of support for his nomination were quick to arrive from the likes of the Association of American Medical Colleges, the American Association for Cancer Research, the CF Foundation, and the advocacy alliance Research!America, whose Chair called it a ‘perfect’ nomination.” Full-Text PDF