Politics, not science, is key to stem cell issues: Reeve

The hope of millions of patients was riding on politics far more than science, paralysed actor and stem cell research advocate Christopher Reeve told delegates in a taped keynote speech at the Stem Cells 2002 conference this week.

"We should be funding and pursuing every avenue of research that is scientifically sound," he said in the 10-minute video presentation.

Reeve, who demonstrated an up-to-date awareness of current stem cell research efforts around the world, also commented on Australia's current political debate on stem cell research and therapeutic cloning.

"I have to say I was disappointed to learn that the Australian government decided, apparently, to split therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research into two different issues, and make them two different bills. Frankly I don't think that's the way to go," he said.

He noted that while embryonic stem cells might be useful for treating some conditions, therapeutic cloning approaches might be needed for others.

"It's a very nascent technology, nobody knows how far it can go, but why stop the research now?" Reeve asked.

He also congratulated the scientists at Queensland's Griffith University who are conducting the world's first clinical trial transplanting olfactory ensheathing cells into damaged spinal cords in an attempt to restore at least some function.

Reeve said that although this was only a safety study, it offered great hope to patients. "It's time to get out of basic research and into the clinic," he said.

Commercial focus

The main focus of the Stem Cells 2002 conference was to examine the science being done in Australia using stem cells and the commercial opportunities presented by the research.

"There's a lot of potential there, but there's a lot of basic research that has to be done too," said the Garvan Institute's Prof John Shine, who chaired the first day of the conference.

Presentations by several leading researchers emphasised the need to keep options open in stem cell research.

"In the end it is going to depend on which therapy is better for a particular disease," said Dr Chris Juttner, vice-president of clinical affairs at BresaGen. He also noted that in the end, discoveries made about fundamental molecular mechanisms and differentiation pathways may be more important than the cells used.

Venture capitalist Stuart Wardman-Browne, chief operating officer at Australian firm Amwin, said scientists should examine other ways to commercialise research from stem cells.

"Certainly what I would suggest is don't all become therapeutic stem cell companies, look at other business models," he said.

"Stem cell-based companies have a much higher level of inherent risk than some other biotech investments, even though the people and the science might be great," added Rothschild Bioscience Managers' Brigitte Smith. She noted that while there were potentially high returns from commercialisation of stem cell research, it had not been demonstrated to date.