San Diego Parkinson’s Research Sparks Ethical Discussion

June 1, 2016
Maureen Cavanaugh, Michael Lipkin

PHOTO BY ANDRES BRATT-LEAL Neurons derived from the skin cells of Parkinson’s disease patients at The Scripps Research Institute

The use of stem cells in scientific research has been the subject of ethical debate for decades, with scientists often destroying an embryo to obtain the regenerative cells. But another avenue for stem cell research, developed in San Diego, doesn’t involve embryos at all, though it has set off its own series of ethical questions.

The Center for Ethics in Science and Technology is hosting a forum Wednesday at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park to discuss the ethical implications of using crowdfunding to launch clinical research.

Jeanne Loring, director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute, has developed a method to transform Parkinson’s patients own skill cells into neurons that the disease has destroyed. Loring’s research has raised more than $2 million since 2010, but it hasn’t come from the usual government grants or industry funding. It has come from a non-profit, Summit for Stem Cell, which has crowdfunded the money from donors around the world.

“This is cutting edge, so one thing is companies will not pay for it,” Loring said. She added that it’s hard to launch research based on new ideas with government grants because scientists need data for a strong application.

While crowdfunding campaigns can concentrate resources that are unavailable through traditional means, bioethicist Mary Deveraux said scientists must be careful not to allow research funding to be driven by the highest bidder. Deveraux, assistant director of the UCSD Research Ethics Program, doesn’t take issue with any of Loring’s research, but said there is a potential concern about funding driven by the wealthy and well-educated overwhelming the needs of less privileged patients.

“What we have here are highly educated, highly articulate people who are doing this for a particular disease,” Deveraux said. “There are concerns from an ethics point of view about justice. For example, people or families of people with quite rare conditions, what are often called orphan diseases, might be left out of this kind of mechanism.”

Loring and Deveraux will discuss Loring’s work at the Center for Ethics event. They both join KPBS Midday Edition Wednesday with more on the evolving nature of science funding.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/jun/01/san-diego-parkinsons-research-sparks-ethical-discu/