Stem Cell Ethics: An Overview from UC Davis Event

Alison Sorkin -- Knoepfler photo

California scientist Paul Knoepfler yesterday posted a synopsis of the recent stem cell ethics session at UC Davis that touched on topics ranging from Right to Try laws to hype about hype in stem cell research. 

Writing on his blog, Knoepfler estimated the attendance at 70 to 80 persons including patient advocates as well as scientists, attorneys and institutional compliance officers.

One presenter was Alison Sorkin, deputy general counsel for University of Colorado Health, who dealt with her state’s Right to Try law. Knoepfler wrote that she said that the law is actually quite limited. Knoepfler wrote,

“She also discussed problematic issues with the specifics of the law such as that patients would be responsible for paying for all of their own healthcare for 6 months after treatment under Right To Try as insurers would be exempt from having to provide ANY coverage. There seems to be a growing sense that Right To Try in Colorado may not actually lead to any patients getting non-FDA approved drugs.” 

Tim Caulfield, a professor, Faculty of Law and School of Public Health at the University of Alberta, dealt with hype. Knoepfler wrote,

“Tim focused on hype in the stem cell field and in particular hype involving scientific publications. He even talked about hype about hype. In the current environment there are strong pressures for scientists to hype their work, including in particular in abstracts. What is the relationship between hype in science articles and in the media?” 

The session was the second annual such event for UC Davis, which will presumably stage another next year.