A climate of fear in the stem cell lab

WHILE RESEARCHERS in California gleefully contemplate how they will spend the $3 billion in stem cell funding recently approved by state voters, a dispiriting miasma has settled upon the rest of the stem cell community. In Massachusetts, Governor Romney's recent critique of stem cell research has profoundly exacerbated this sense of concern.

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This much is clear: in most states -- including Massachusetts -- significant funding seems unlikely to materialize, while chafing federal research restrictions are apparently here to stay and likely to be enforced with renewed elan. Add to this Romney's desire for additional restrictions, and the result is an environment that seriously challenges the ability of stem cell researchers to achieve the best results.

While the stem cell bill sponsored by state Senate President Travaglini represents a major step in the right direction, the proposed legislation is not a substitute for what is needed most -- action at the federal level.

Although current federal restrictions apply only to certain lines of human stem cells, the entire stem cell field has been drawn into the controversy. Many potential collaborators are expressing reservations, concerned that an emboldened government will withhold precious federal funds from anyone even perceived to be involved with stem cell research.

Consider the recent experience of an academic colleague who submitted a routine reimbursement request for a book about stem cells. ''Stem cell research at this time is quite controversial," an administrator wrote back. ''At the moment, we can't pay for anything related to stem cell research because we are completely federally funded and could be at risk to lose our funds if we do."

Though misinformed, this reaction reflects a paranoia engendered by the guidelines for research involving human stem cells. Under current policy, federal funds cannot be used to generate new human stem cell lines or to study any human stem cell line created after August 2001 -- even if only to compare the cells to their older, federally approved counterparts. Researchers also cannot use government funds to analyze DNA, RNA, or protein derived from new cell lines, although these studies would be useful.

Since the vast majority of medical research conducted at American universities is paid for by the National Institutes of Health, the slightest suggestion of losing access to this funding is enough to send shivers through even the most seasoned investigator.

I have seen the consequences of this mindset personally, when I was thinking about applying for a government grant to study how (federally approved) stem cells might be converted into insulin-producing cells to treat diabetes. I asked an experienced NIH administrator whether he thought I should include supporting data generated by colleagues working with non-federally approved cell lines in the funding application. He said no because these data might give the perception that non-federally fundable cell lines were being used as a means to obtain federal funds.   Continued...