Comments on: NIH By the Numbers: Challenge Grants, Stem Cell Comments, and Conflict of Interest Rules http://scienceprogress.org/2009/06/nih-by-the-numbers/ Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:59:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Michael F. Sarabia http://scienceprogress.org/2009/06/nih-by-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-5504 Michael F. Sarabia Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:52:12 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/?p=3516#comment-5504 First, I must commend the fine comment by Mark Frankel who warns us of the importance of being aware of Conflict of Interest. No one wants a repeat of the infamous failure in approving a treatment that killed too many and was recalled after losing huge amounts of money. I am sure the Judge thought it well deserved but we must not depend on such a process to find and recall stem cell treatments that might produce tumors. How much testing is enough? That is where the Conflict of Interest may surface, if you know what I mean. Did you see the photo of a rat with a full ear grown on its back? Yes, it was from an stem cell experiment. Actually, I am all in favor of animal testing and my lack of medical knowledge keeps me from understanding why the function and processes involved in stem cells could not be studied first on rats. It may kill the rat but it is better for a rat to die than a human, right? They could even infect a rat with a disease and then test the effect of some stem cell types on healing, or killing. The bottom line, that is never mentioned, is that doctors do not yet know how the stem cells works, or how many different types of stem cells are there, or what are their differences and the implications. The only bigger medical mystery that I know or, rather, that I do not know, is how the brain works, but I will save that for a proper time. Yet, do you remember how many times you heard the assertion of the "Great Healing Potential" of stem cells? The Partisans are absolutely sure they are absolutely right if doctors would only be allowed to begin testing the many known stem cells types to find out which ones heal what and which ones kill who? Is that the best the so-called Medical Scientists can do? Will they lose their license if 10 or more patients grew ears on their legs? Quickly removed, free of charge, of course. How can you find out what one stem cell will do without actually using human testing? Was that the reason given in the Third Reich? I remember my teacher showing us... First, I must commend the fine comment by Mark Frankel who warns us of the importance of being aware of Conflict of Interest.
No one wants a repeat of the infamous failure in approving a treatment that killed too many and was recalled after losing huge amounts of money. I am sure the Judge thought it well deserved but we must not depend on such a process to find and recall stem cell treatments that might produce tumors. How much testing is enough? That is where the Conflict of Interest may surface, if you know what I mean.
Did you see the photo of a rat with a full ear grown on its back? Yes, it was from an stem cell experiment.

Actually, I am all in favor of animal testing and my lack of medical knowledge keeps me from understanding why the function and processes involved in stem cells could not be studied first on rats. It may kill the rat but it is better for a rat to die than a human, right? They could even infect a rat with a disease and then test the effect of some stem cell types on healing, or killing.

The bottom line, that is never mentioned, is that doctors do not yet know how the stem cells works, or how many different types of stem cells are there, or what are their differences and the implications.
The only bigger medical mystery that I know or, rather, that I do not know, is how the brain works, but I will save that for a proper time.
Yet, do you remember how many times you heard the assertion of the “Great Healing Potential” of stem cells?
The Partisans are absolutely sure they are absolutely right if doctors would only be allowed to begin testing the many known stem cells types to find out which ones heal what and which ones kill who? Is that the best the so-called Medical Scientists can do? Will they lose their license if 10 or more patients grew ears on their legs? Quickly removed, free of charge, of course.
How can you find out what one stem cell will do without actually using human testing? Was that the reason given in the Third Reich? I remember my teacher showing us…

]]> By: Mark Frankel http://scienceprogress.org/2009/06/nih-by-the-numbers/comment-page-1/#comment-5463 Mark Frankel Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:35:29 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/?p=3516#comment-5463 There is no doubt that conflict of interest is a major issue for the research community. When the original regs were issued by PHS in 1995, they included a comment that "institutional conflicts of interest" would be dealt with later. "Later" has finally arrived in the new notice of proposed rulemaking on conflicts of interest. Very few universities have policies on institutional conflicts. It would be useful for the PHS to stress the importance of developing such policies in subsequent rulemaking notices and consider offering some guidance. Keep on blogging! Mark Frankel There is no doubt that conflict of interest is a major issue for the research community. When the original regs were issued by PHS in 1995, they included a comment that “institutional conflicts of interest” would be dealt with later. “Later” has finally arrived in the new notice of proposed rulemaking on conflicts of interest. Very few universities have policies on institutional conflicts. It would be useful for the PHS to stress the importance of developing such policies in subsequent rulemaking notices and consider offering some guidance.

Keep on blogging!

Mark Frankel

]]>