Stem Cell Policy and Ethics (SCOPE) program was first conceptualized early in 2002 as a formal and ongoing conduit for collaboration between faculty and staff of the Berman Institute of Bioethics and the Institute for Cell Engineering, both at Johns Hopkins University. Under the joint leadership of Ruth Faden and John Gearhart, SCOPE is designed to address the increasing importance, in both the conduct of research and the development of clinical applications, of interactions between the fields of stem cell science, ethics, and public policy. Mission Statement
The SCOPE program (formerly known as the Program in Cell Engineering, Ethics, and Public Policy, or PCEEPP) mission is t - Facilitate the ability of the public to benefit from advances in cell engineering in morally responsible ways;
- Anticipate moral and policy challenges in stem cell science and cell engineering; and
- Provide opportunity for careful and interdisciplinary analysis of these challenges that will be of assistance to both policymakers and the public.
Download the latest SCoPE fact sheet. SCoPE News Round-Up
Updated January 26, 2007
National News and Commentary Coleman Bill Seeks ‘Middle Ground’ On Stem Cell Debate, La Crosse Tribune, 24 January 2007.
Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman introduced legislation Tuesday which he said will expand funding for stem cell research while ensuring that no human embryos are harmed, in an effort to carve out a middle ground on one of the most divisive political issues. Culver Pushes Stem Cell Research Plan, 4 Eyewitness News, 25 January 2007.
In his first budget proposal, Governor Chet Culver says he wants to spend millions on stem cell research in Iowa. The democrat is asking for $12.5 million to help build a stem cell research center at the University of Iowa. Bishops Press Richardson to Drop Stem Cell Research, 4KOBTV, 26 January 2007.
New Mexico’s Roman Catholic bishops are pressing Governor Richardson to reconsider his plan to spend state money on stem cell research. Arrowhead Funding Caltech Stem Cell Research, Small Times, 26 January 2007.
Arrowhead Research Corporation will sponsor the continued research of Dr. Eric Davidson's laboratory at the California Institute of Technology focused on the re-engineering of the internal control systems of cells. Branson Launches Stem-Cell Company, FreeMarketNews.com, 26 January 2007.
Sir Richard Branson will launch a stem-cell storage company which will offer parents the chance to put the umbilical blood of their newborn children into cold storage. Presentations of Latest Stem Cell Scientific Developments to Highlight Second Day of Next Month’s Summit in San Diego, PharmaLive, 25 January 2007.
RRY Publications today announced that presentations of the latest scientific developments in the transformation of stem cells into therapeutic products will highlight the second day of the 2nd Annual Stem Cell Summit, which is set for Feb. 12-13, 2007, in San Diego. New WARF Stem Cell Rules to Benefit Biotech Research, BioWorld Today, 25 January 2007.
Embryonic stem cell research should advance a bit more freely because of policy changes announced this week by a major patent holder in this area, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation. The move could clearly benefit biotech companies and possibly negate for now some criticism that the organization has endured. Stem Cell Opposition Could Steer Research Away from Texas, Statesman.com, 26 January 2007.
Texas' plans to pour $300 million a year into cancer research for a decade, is part of an arms race underway for the world's top researchers, with various states and nations bidding for the best scientific minds. Those minds are expected to lead the way to enormous advances in medicine, which will spawn an industry generating wealth, jobs, tax base and acclaim. Venables Introduces Stem Cell Bill, WBOC 16, 26 January 2007.
A new bill introduced Thursday in the Delaware Senate would surpass current legislation by regulating all types of stem cell research. Fees Relaxed to Boost Stem Cell Research, The Washington Post, 24 January 2007.
The Wisconsin foundation that holds patents covering U.S. embryonic stem cell research will waive some of its fees to encourage more industry-sponsored research. Should Women Be Paid for Their Eggs?, thetandd.com, 24 January 2007.
This is an editorial analyzing the ethics of egg donations. Research LIF-immobilized nonwoven polyester fabrics for cultivation of murine embryonic stem cells, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, January 2007.
LIF was active in immobilized form; undifferentiated colonies had not only a significant AP and SSEA-1 immunoreactivity, but also a higher undifferentiated colony ratio on LIF-immobilized surfaces than that of hydrolyzed surfaces. The immobilized LIF protein might be a good model to provide a feeder-free system, but the physical properties of the scaffold is more convenient for differentiation studies. Tissue Engineering of Vascularized Cardiac Muscle From Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Circulation Research, 11 January 2007.
Using a multicellular scaffold with human embryonic stem cells, scientists in Israel created heart-muscle tissue that grows its own network of tiny blood vessels. FoxOs in Tumor Suppression and Stem Cell Maintenance, Cell, 26 January 2007.
The FoxO transcription factors have been implicated in many processes including tumo suppression and cell death. In this issue, two groups now report on mice that conditionally lack the three predominant FoxO transcription factors. Tothova et al. (2007) demonstrate that FoxOs are critical for the long-term maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells, and Paik et al. (2007) show that FoxOs suppress the formation of hemangiomas and lymphomas in mice. International News Norway May Ease Ban on Stem Cell Study, The Washington Post, 26 January 2007.
Norway's government on Friday proposed lifting a national ban on using human embryonic stem cells for research, saying the change might help find cures to a broad range of diseases. Stem Cell: Patients Have Only Relatives to Fall Back On, India Times, 26 January 2007.
Whenever Indian patients need stem cells, they have to fall back on relatives. Mumbai's Tata Memorial and Delhi's AIIMS have stem-cell banks, but the donors are patients' relatives. UK Grants GBP1.1 Million to Robotic Stem Cell Research, Pharmaceutical Business Review Online, 25 January 2007.
The UK's Department of Trade and Industry has said it is giving GBP1.1 million to a consortium led by London-based biotech firm Plasticell, in order to develop robotic stem cell research. British Scientists will develop robotics to automate important stem cell research, meaning thousands of experiments will be able to be conducted at once, rather than just a handful being possible by a single scientist. National Stem Cell Explores Ventures in China, Prime News Wire, 25 January 2007.
A National Stem Cell senior leadership team traveled to China to cultivate scientific and business relationships with the intent of launching National Stem Cell's operations in the region. Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research: An Australian Perspective, Cell, 25 January 2007.
A conscience vote of individual parliamentarians in the Australian government last month regarding amendments to current legislation regulating human embryonic stem cell research yielded a surprising outcome. Despite opposition by the Australian Prime Minister, the Senate and House of Representatives voted to adopt the recommendations of the Lockhart Review and approve human somatic cell nuclear transfer, thus providing a consistent national policy for all researchers in Australia.
Projects
Members of SCoPE are involved in the following research projects:
Publications
- Faden R. The road to balanced oversight. Science 2006 August 18;313(5789):891
- Mathews DJ, Donovan P, Harris J, Lovell-Badge R, Savulescu J, Faden R. Science and law. Integrity in international stem cell research collaborations. Science 2006 August 18;313(5789):921-2.
- Consensus statement of the Hinxton Group, an international consortium on stem cells, ethics and law. www.hinxtongroup.org/au_cs.html
- Savulescu J, Saunders R. The "Hinxton Group" considers transnational stem cell research. Hastings Cent Rep 2006 May;36(3):1.
- Greene M, Schill K, Takahashi S et al. Ethics: Moral issues of human-non-human primate neural grafting. Science 2005 July 15;309(5733):385-6.
- Bok H, Schill KE, Faden RR. Justice, ethnicity, and stem-cell banks. Lancet 2004 July 10;364(9429):118-21.
- Dawson L, Bateman-House AS, Mueller AD et al. Safety issues in cell-based intervention trials. Fertil Steril 2003 November;80(5):1077-85.
- Faden RR, Dawson L, Bateman-House AS et al. Public stem cell banks: considerations of justice in stem cell research and therapy. Hastings Cent Rep 2003 November;33(6):13-27.
- Siegel AW. The moral insignificance of crossing species boundaries. Am J Bioeth 2003;3(3):33-4.
Members
Co-Directors
Ruth Faden, Ph.D., M.P.H. - Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics; Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics John Gearhart, Ph.D. - C. Michael Armstrong Professor; Professor, Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics Members
Debra Mathews, Ph.D. - Assistant Director for Science Programs, Berman Institute of Bioethics Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics Alan Regenberg, M. Be. - Senior Research Program Coordinator, Berman Institute of Bioethics Hilary Bok, Ph.D. - Henry R. Luce Professor of Bioethics and Moral and Political Theory, Department of Philosophy; Core Faculty, Berman Institute Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, Stem Cell Program Institute for Cell Engineering
Jennifer Elisseeff, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering Andrew Siegel, Ph.D., J.D. - Assistant Professor, Department of Gynecology-Obstetrics; Core Faculty, Berman Institute Hongjun Song, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor, Institute For Cell Engineering Jeremy Sugarman, M.D., M.P.H., M.A. - Core Faculty, Berman Institute; Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics & Medicine
Contact Alan Regenberg
SCOPE Program Coordinator
100 N Charles St, Suite 740
Baltimore, MD 21201
P: 410-516-8581, F: 410-516-8504
Aregenbe@jhsph.edu
|
