Stem cell scientists hail new era

Obama recalibrates terms, role of research

Surrounded by scientists, President Obama ended eight years of strict rules on embryonic stem cell research. (Chris Kleponis/ AFP/ Getty Images)

CAMBRIDGE - Feasting on a celebratory spread of pastries, sheet cake, and foil-wrapped chocolate eggs, Harvard scientists watched in rapt silence, smiles spreading over their faces, as President Obama yesterday lifted eight-year-old restrictions on stem cell research and announced a broader commitment to science.

At the morning screening, held in a fourth-floor conference room just down the hallway from biology laboratories, students gathered alongside senior researchers to revel in a moment that will change their careers - whether they are just about to set up their own laboratories or are looking back on years of work that has been hindered by Bush administration limits on human embryonic stem cell research.

"I have never been comfortable as being seen in opposition to my government, let alone our nation's leader," said Douglas Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. "The dark ages are now over for our lab."

Obama yesterday followed through on promises he made during his election campaign, signing an executive order allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and directing the National Institutes of Health to write guidelines within 120 days for how the research should be conducted.

"Ultimately, I cannot guarantee that we will find the treatments and cures we seek. No president can promise that," Obama said. "But I can promise that we will seek them - actively, responsibly, and with the urgency required to make up for lost ground."

He also signed a memorandum to elevate science within his administration, clarify the responsibilities of the office of science and technology policy, and ensure that "we base our public policies on the soundest science . . . and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions."

At a press conference later in the day, Lawrence Tabak acting deputy director of the NIH, which received $8.2 billion for research in the stimulus package, said the agency planned to move quickly so that embryonic stem cell work could be funded through that package.

"We anticipate that stimulus resources will be able to be used under the context of the new guidelines," Tabak said, although he did not have specifics on how much money would be allocated.

Human embryonic stem cells have the capacity to develop into any tissue in the body, such as insulin-producing cells that might eventually be used to treat diabetes, or neurons that could replace ones that die off during Lou Gehrig's disease. The potent cells are seen as important research tools, as well as promising treatments. But they have caused much political and ethical debate because human embryos are destroyed when the cells are extracted.

The decision reverses an executive order issued by President Bush on August 9, 2001, that permitted federal funds to be used for work with only embryonic stem cell lines created before that date.

That policy - carefully crafted so that the government wouldn't be responsible for the destruction of any additional embryos - left most scientists, who generally depend on federal support to do basic research, with only the limited pool of stem cells then in existence.

Researchers who wanted to work with other embryonic stem cells had to raise private funds. Several states, California and Massachusetts among them, subsequently set aside money for the research as well.

Opponents of the research condemned President Obama's decision yesterday, saying the research is immoral.

"President Obama's new executive order on embryonic stem cell research is a sad victory of politics over science and ethics," Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in a statement. "This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested."

Some also criticized the open-endedness of the executive order, which did not specify how embryos could be created. Obama did rule out cloning embryos for human reproduction, but critics said he left open the door for scientists to create embryos specifically for research and not just use leftover embryos that fertility clinics would otherwise discard.

Clarity should come as the NIH issues guidelines to govern the research and as Congress decides whether or not to take legislative action.

US Representative Diana DeGette of Colorado, a leading Democratic supporter of embryonic stem cell research, said in a statement that "Congress must quickly pass complementary legislation so that no future antiscience administration will be able to hinder progress."

Even as the specific policies are being hammered out, excitement swept across the stem cell research world. Privately supported researchers look forward to more open collaboration with their federally funded colleagues.

Young scientists, who might have been hesitant to enter the promising field, no longer need to worry about funding, said Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and cochairman of a presidential scientific advisory council.

"I think it sends an extraordinary message to young scientists today - that this nation will back them," he said from Washington, where he attended Obama's signing and speech.

That feeling was echoed at the Cambridge screening.

"This is very exciting," said Adriana Tajonar a graduate student in Melton's lab. "Right now, we have the opportunity to work on embryonic stem cell lines because we're in a well-established lab. But of course, as a young scientist, it's a lot harder to get private funding."

Jessica Hightower, a Harvard senior and a Christian who said she had thought deeply about the moral and ethical issues before deciding to join Melton's lab, said the president's order would make the work easier.

"Just knowing how much trouble people have gone to - this opens so much opportunity," she said.

Many scientists are already beginning to work on grant applications, and researchers whose work was previously limited are looking forward to new opportunities.

Officials at the University of Michigan unveiled a consortium yesterday for creating embryonic stem cell lines.

Last fall, the University of Massachusetts Medical School established a stem cell bank and registry for storing and distributing the cells. Officials there hope the policy change will help that program expand through federal funding.

Obama's speech and actions were heartening to many in the scientific community, who believed that under President Bush, science was often ignored or politicized, in everything from climate change research to stem cells.

"It was incredibly moving and very exciting, and I think it's going to energize the scientific community," said Dr. George Q. Daley, a stem cell biologist at Children's Hospital in Boston who attended the signing. "To have the president stand up and assert that science should be free of ideology and politics . . . how can you not applaud that?"

Carolyn Y. Johnson can be reached at cjohnson@globe.com.