by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Dec 3, 2006
All Rights Reserved.

hen California passed Proposition 71 Nov. 2, 2004 creating a publicly financed $3-billion stem cell agency, no one could have imagined the groundbreaking research of S. Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk was faked. Hwang's “revolutionary” stem cell studies were enthusiastically quoted by Prop. 71-backers, urging taxpayers to lead the nation, funding stem cell research. President George W. Bush pulled plug on the government's commitment to stem cell research Aug. 10, 2001, limiting funding to 61 existing cell lines. Most scientists opposed the restriction, citing problems with old stem cells. Hwang received $40 million from S. Korea's Science and Technology Ministry in 2002, giving him state-of-the-art technology and research facilities. In August 2005, three months after publishing breakthrough research in the Journal Science, Hwang claimed to have cloned a dog.

      Hwang claimed to have extracted stem cells from cloned embryos that matched the DNA of 11 patients. In reality, the stem cells were obtained from embryos donated by his researchers, prompting a Seoul National University panel to conclude Hwang faked his research. “I sincerely apologize to the people for creating a shock and disappointment,” said Hwang, announcing his resignation from his research and teaching post. Hwang's admission, a year-and-a-half after California voters approved Prop. 71, raises serious doubts about the scientific viability of stem cell research. Yet Prop. 71 authorizes $3-billion in public funding built on faked research and false hopes. Hwang's fraudulent research casts a dark shadow over the state's attempt to wisely use taxpayer money. Numerous groups, individuals and publicly-traded companies clamor for the new money.

      With the funding for Prop. 71 tied up in litigation, Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a $150 million advance against future bonds. Funding the Institute for Regenerative Medicine is supposed to oversee the expected $3 billion in loans to begin the uphill path toward finding cures for spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and other neurological conditions theoretically helped by embryonic stem cells. “I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said quadriplegic Roman Reed, whose spinal cord was severed playing football. Reed played the perfect poster-boy for the fledgling “science” of embryonic stem cell research. Everyone wants their loved ones cured of dreaded diseases and injuries. But emotional pleas shouldn't be used to exploit hapless victims or, for that matter, naïve taxpayers ignorant of the real science.

      Real science—not greed—was supposed to motivate backers of Prop. 71, believing that California must take over for where the federal government failed. Hwang's faked research raises serious doubts about the viability of embryonic stem cell research. Two years after voters passed Prop. 71, scientists aren't talking about cures for spinal cord injuries or neurological disorders. Scientists and bureaucrats with California's Stem Cell Research and Cures Act no longer promise real treatments for dreaded conditions. “It is unlikely that the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine will be able to fully develop stem cell therapy for routine clinical use during the 10 years of the plan,” reads the final draft plan, dashing hopes of voters who expected real results from Prop. 71. Voters didn't approve a $3-billion bureaucracy without getting some real clinical results.

      Bush's veto of federal government funding of new stem cell lines was not because he saw problems with the eventual outcome. He vetoed new stem cell lines because they involved using live embryos from abortion clinics or, even worse, harvesting stem cells from human cloning. Hwang's faked research proves scientists aren't close to cloning stem cells, or, even from unused embryos. Patients suffering from incurable diseases shouldn't be given false hopes by crafty entrepreneurs, hoping to make a killing in a new biotech industry. “The Prop. 71 campaign went beyond the line of responsible political rhetoric,” said Jesse Reynolds with the Oakland-based Center of Genetics and Society, believing advocates sold voters a bill of goods. He was pleased that the recent draft was “refreshingly honest,” telling taxpayers not to expect too much from implementing Prop. 71.

      Gov. Schwarzenegger and the legislature must take a serious look at whether to dramatically scale back California's expected outlay for stem cell research. Given Hwang's faked research, it's conceivable that the state jumped the gun on stem cell research. Incurring $3-billion in debt without a chance of results doesn't sound like the best use of taxpayers' money. State officials must reconcile new facts about stem cell research with the demands from entrepreneurs and bureaucrats now tied to the fledgling stem cell business. On Nov. 7, voters rejected the idea that the state should fund its own alternative fuels industry. By the same token, if Prop. 71—and the stem cell industry—was based on bogus science, the state must rethink its financial commitment before it's too late. Spending billions on the hope—not science—of unexpected discoveries isn't worth the price.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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