First it was climate change, now it’s iPS cells. Al Gore loves to have a pet scientific cause to put his (sometimes fluctuating) weight behind–and the scientific trend of the moment, it would appear is stem cell research. But not, surprisingly, embryonic stem cell research. Gore is part of a $20M venture backing research into induced pluripotent stem cells where he is partner of a venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, reports USA Today.
But is Gore’s backing for iPS cells good for stem cell research really? I think not. A former Vice President doing what appears to be stumping for iPS cells detracts from the significant advances that embryonic stem cell research can yield. Even if the research appears promising, it sends a very clear message that at least one prominent science policy leader is backing another horse–and right after President Obama’s funding of embryonic stem cell research. At the very least it sends very mixed messages about where research priorities in the US should be placed where stem cell research is concerned.
Summer Johnson, PhD