January 27, 2006
The Barriers to Entry for Medical Research
By Froma
Harrop
WEST PALM
BEACH, Fla. -- "Goofy" is how scientists describe the
jig they must dance to do federally funded medical research in
the age of Bush. For instance, The Burnham Institute in La Jolla,
Calif., maintains separate labs for work with embryonic stem cells,
which President Bush has virtually put off limits to government
funding. It slaps special stickers on equipment bought with National
Institutes of Health grants, lest the machines be used on unauthorized
cell lines.
Florida wants to
create a medical research hub here in Palm Beach County. Biotech
delivers good jobs, and Gov. Jeb Bush is courting Burnham with
hefty subsidies. The stars seem in place for Burnham to build
in the Sunshine State, except for one thing: The governor thinks
embryonic stem cell research is evil.
Burnham is already
dealing with the craziness from Washington. Does it want another
layer of aggravation on the state level, as well?
Most Americans regard
embryonic stem cell research as a potential gift to humankind.
The cutting-edge science may someday produce cures for Alzheimer's,
diabetes and other degenerative diseases. But it requires the
destruction of embryos. Some "pro-life" activists consider
these tiny clusters of cells, created in lab dishes, as human
beings. Jeb Bush has condemned embryonic stem cell research as
the act of "taking a life to save a life."
The thinking in Florida
is that a local Burnham lab would steer clear of research involving
embryos. Scripps Research Institute, also based in La Jolla, is
already here and doing work with adult stem cells, which is not
controversial. For the record, Scripps says it never agreed to
any ban on embryonic stem cell research -- and would not have
taken Florida's offer (including a $310 million incentive package)
under such conditions.
But Scripps has never
been much of a player in embryonic stem cell research. Burnham
is in its big leagues. CEO John Reed sits on the board overseeing
the $3 billion that voters in California approved to support the
research.
True, Gov. Bush does
have a history of modifying his "pro-life" stances when
money is involved. Florida's many fertility clinics routinely
throw out unused embryos, but Bush has never suggested closing
them down. And his preference for low taxes has always trumped
any moral qualms over Florida's high percentage of medically uninsured
residents -- some of whom die for lack of health care. With stem
cell products projected to become a $10 billion industry by 2015,
Bush may forget his objection to much of the most promising research
in the field.
Still, it's hard
to fathom why any self-respecting research institute would do
business in a state whose leadership portrays its proudest work
as morally reprehensible. Sure, Florida might tolerate it. But
does Burnham really want to deal with a governor who asserts that
its researchers back in California are "taking lives"
in their labs?
Other states, meanwhile,
are supporting the science with full hearts, as well as money.
California, Massachusetts and New Jersey have gone as far as approving
therapeutic cloning, which is a preferred (though controversial)
means of creating embryonic stem cells.
Governors in more
socially conservative states are openly defending embryonic stem
cell research. In Missouri, Gov. Matt Blunt, an anti-abortion
Republican, vetoed legislation that would have made this work
a felony. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas
City, Mo., wants to build another facility there, but it won't
put a shovel in the ground until all threats against embryonic
stem cell research are removed.
Floridians seem split
on the issue. A bill in the state legislature would let public
money be spent on embryonic stem cell research -- with lots of
restrictions attached. There nevertheless remains powerful opposition
to the work. And Gov. Bush has never backed down from all but
calling it murder.
Bio researchers have
to ask themselves: Isn't life already complicated enough with
brother George playing games over the stem cell issue in Washington?
It takes a certain masochism to voluntarily go where scientists
might have to slap state stickers alongside the federal ones on
research equipment.
An institute dedicated
to the promise of embryonic stem cell research dare not ignore
reality. In Jeb Bush's Florida, Goofy can be more than a character
at Disney World.
Copyright
2006 Creators Syndicate
