According to Robert Palazzo from RPI:
"We're missing, I think, the message that this is an area that will be supported by the state," Palazzo said. "We're missing the kinds of state structures like California and New Jersey have put in place--institutes for regenerative medicine. And we're missing that understanding so the world can know that New York is going to move and going to support this cutting-edge research.
An argument which is countered by Paulette McCormick from U of Albany:
"I think the state needs to be careful in leaping in just because they're afraid of falling behind other states," McCormick said.
"There are tremendous possibilities, there's no question," said McCormick, director of UAlbany's Center for Functional Genomics. "I think the technology is not nearly as far along as people believe it is. The technology has not been proven."
"If we try to match every state as they jump out toward some high-tech goal, we're going to end up not exceeding, not being the center of excellence of any," she said.
This is a tremendously complex issue, which transcends science and politics. I side with Dr. McCormick on the relatively early state of these techniques. I also agree with her notion that we can't blindly invest in something simply because California is doing so. Indeed, if there are investments to be made, I think they should be made to support our current, established strengths (biomaterials, diagnostics, cancer, infectious disease...) and to address our current needs (more incubator space, more investments in companies, more faculty support). I don't think it will be the complete loss of the economic opportunity we have simply because we do not match California's $3 billion [sic.] investment in stem cell research.
However, Dr. Palazzo is correct in that we need state structures and strategies not only for regenerative medicine, but other areas as well. Human stem cells can be important tools for many areas beyond regenerative medicine, e.g., drug discovery and development. Indeed, the fact that GE in Niskayuna is performing stem cell research speaks to the potential for these cells.
Bottom line: We need to fund stem cell research IF it is complimentary to our current strengths and IF we understand what is not being funded in exchange for funding stem cell research.
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