RT @SpeakofResearch: Facts must inform discussion of future of chimpanzee research

" Despite their repetitive claims online that their message is welcomed by neighbors, the opposite is actually true. Those who live in proximity of researchers being targeted support their neighbors even though they are, themselves, negatively affected by the focused pickets. "

" Bailey says we need to be active on Capitol Hill, and active on a personal level, bringing people in to our labs, to see exactly what we do and how carefully we work. Being active on Capitol Hill doesn't necessarily mean going in person to advocate. He pointed out that we can advocate by going through our societies, encouraging scientific societies to push for federal funding and to push back against animal research organizations. And he encourages us to speak out, bring people in to our labs, and show them what we do. A lot of the fear of animal research comes from those who have no idea what it is that we do on a regular basis, and no idea how our work can benefit humans and animals down the road. "

" When additional non-animal alternatives are developed, science will naturally reduce the need and use of animal models. This progression will only happen when viable alternatives exist and are scientifically verified. It is exciting to dream of the day when no animal research is needed and no human lives are ended by disease. Until that day comes, we need to continue using the method that works. "

The Foundation for Biomedical Research revives its "fuzzy animals" and "healed children" ad campaign tactic.

" "I'm not going to go in there and give my view on stem cell research and embryonic stem cell. That's not my point. What I'm going to do is go in there and I'm going to tell them Charlie's story and Charlie's suffering and what he's endured, and I'm going to tell him how he is now and the stem cell research that has taken place already has made it such an amazing difference in Charlie's life as he is a visual of what stem cell research can do." "

" The bill’s sponsor, Rep. George Faught, R-Muskogee, said Thursday that life begins at conception and any lawmaker who claims to be pro-life should support the proposal.

" “Don’t let that embryo be relegated to just some material that can be used for experimentation,” Faught said after reading several passages from the Bible.

" Rep. Pam Peterson, R-Tulsa, said she resented the fact that the basic right to life was being substituted for economic development.

" “Now we have this utilitarian ethic of life,” she said. “That life is worth something to somebody else dead or experimented upon, then that now is more valuable to society. That is a very sad state we are in.

" Democratic Rep. Jeannie McDaniel, of Tulsa, opposed the measure and said embryonic stem cell research could help find a cure for cancer and diseases such as multiple sclerosis. She said the restrictions would leave the impression that Oklahoma is not open to taking part in groundbreaking research.

" “Why put roadblocks up? We need to tell scientists we are open for business,” she said. "

commenter, wholly ignorant of where embryonic stem cells come from but illustrating the risk of framing a contested moral issue as "sexy, hot":

" What a doer and a shaker this gent Gordon Carmichael is. Turning cannibalism into jobs and cold hard cash! Way to go…. "

" A fetus has to torn apart in order for it to be “sexy science”? "

" "We have put ourselves on the international map,'' Carmichael told me when I met him at StemCONN 2011, a symposium for the research community where he was introduced as the "Connecticut Poster Boy" for stem cell research. "It leads to more money, more people. We have become a much more appealing place." "

" But amongst the believers at StemConn 2011, a stem cell research symposium today in Farmington, I found some new hope for the future. In just five years, we have gone from one lab at Yale University to 100 labs and 200 researchers doing groundbreaking work that could transform the state's economic future. "

" A bill that would make human cloning a crime in Minnesota is back at the state Legislature. Proponents of stem cell research say the bill could hamper research on the roots of disease and potential therapies. "

" Some stem cell researchers and bio-business leaders are urging lawmakers to kill a proposed bill that would ban human cloning in Minnesota.

" They say the legislation could have a chilling effect on embryonic stem cell research at the University of Minnesota, and on potential business investment in the state. "

" "We believe that this bill is a preliminary to another bill which will seek to ban the use of human embryonic stem cells and that really will be disruptive to a number of research programs with important potential clinical benefits," said. Dr. Jonathan Slack, director of the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute. "

" Dale Wahlstrom, chief executive officer of the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota, said his organization is concerned with the legislation's "unintended consequences" and the potentially fatal blow it could deliver to the state's fledgling biomedical industry. Companies crave stability when choosing where to open, he said, but the bill's vague language and potential future implications limit the risk businesses are willing to take. "This bill is bad for business in Minnesota," he said. "

" Judy Woodruff gets perspectives from Dr. Evan Snyder of the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and David Prentice of the Family Research Council. "

" The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), a professional organization of member scientists, opposes the Federal District Court injunction that froze federal funding for human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research. ARVO is troubled by this barrier to research that has the potential to restore sight and mitigate eye damage. "

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology expressed its disapproval and disappointment this week in response to the Aug. 23 ruling in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that granted a preliminary injunction barring federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research.

" Vital progress in stem cell research by hundreds of U.S. laboratories is threatened after last week's injunction prohibiting federal funding for the study of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), Elaine Fuchs, Rockefeller University, U.S., stated that the setbacks for advancing biomedical research on stem cells and translating this knowledge into new and improved treatments for patients are already considerable, and escalate with each day the injunction continues. "

" The judicial injunction blocking federally funded human embryonic stem cell research not only blocks potential life-saving research but also threatens to undermine the system of peer-reviewed science that has helped make America the unquestioned world leader in scientific discovery.

" Embryonic stem cell research holds enormous potential for developing treatments and cures for numerous chronic and fatal diseases. With scientists across the nation positioned to make dramatic advances funded substantially by the National Institutes of Health, this judicial action is particularly disappointing. We hope this injunction will be lifted soon and that the lawsuit will be unsuccessful. As these court actions have made clear, it is imperative that policymakers clarify that federal law unambiguously permits the funding of this critical research.

" We are also deeply concerned that the researchers who are plaintiffs in this case have been granted standing to sue the government based primarily on the assertion that they would be "irreparably harmed" by continued funding of embryonic stem cell research. This is judicial intervention in the peer review process, pure and simple. The notion that competition for research funding should be adjudicated in the courts rather than by expert peer review endangers the merit-based system of funding that makes American science the envy of the world. We strongly encourage the federal government to argue forcefully in court against permitting the peer review system to be undermined in this manner. "

" Source: Association of American Medical College "

" We can’t afford the loss of intellectual power that this injunction will bring. In 2010 it would be a tragedy to set hESC research back to 1998 in the United States while scientists in other countries (and perhaps many now working and living here who will soon alight to Asia) forge ahead. "

"As stated in our 2005 policy statement on stem cell research, we believe that reasonable, ethical stem cell exploration is a crucial component of scientific discovery," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. "Human embryonic stem cell research may lead to new biological insights that offer avenues for the development of promising new therapies for cancer patients. This decision will slow the important research that has the potential to save lives from cancer and will significantly affect the ability of the United States to be a leader in this cutting-edge field of science."

" The AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) has expressed concern that a recent Federal District Court injunction to stop federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research is a serious obstacle for scientific discovery. The AACR reiterates its support for responsible conduct of human embryonic stem cell research, which up to this week was funded by the NIH (National Institutes of Health. "

" The Endocrine Society says it is re-issuing its 2009 Position Statement which calls for an increase in NIH funding for stem cell research. It also calls for an expansion in the scope of funding to include promising yet neglected areas of stem cell research. "

" "This is a major setback for medical research, in particular, research towards a cure for diabetes," said Richard Bergenstal, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. "This decision stands as a roadblock to research that has shown great promise in finding a cure for diabetes and treating its complications." "

" Dr. John Kessler, director of the Feinberg Neuroscience Institute at Northwestern University, said one of the biggest obstacles is the public’s high expectations, and the common belief that stem cells will immediately lead to new treatments for disease.

" “There is no question in my mind that stem cell biology is going to revolutionalize the way we practice medicine,” Kessler said. “It’s not going to happen with the kind of time frame that people want. It’s not going to happen tomorrow. It’s not going to happen next year.” "

" Ronald Reagan's death from Alzheimer's disease Saturday has triggered an outpouring of support for human embryonic stem cell research. Building on comments made by Nancy Reagan last month, scores of senators on Monday called upon President Bush to loosen his restrictions on the controversial research, which requires the destruction of human embryos. Patient groups have also chimed in, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday added his support for a policy review. "

" The quote was from Ronald McKay, a stem cell researcher at the National Institutes of Health, and the topic was human embryonic stem cells. In an interview I did for The Washington Post in 2004, I asked McKay why so many people kept talking about the possibility that injections of stem cells into the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease might someday cure these people when, in fact, the scientific consensus at the time (and still today) was that such injections were unlikely to benefit such patients. ... “To start with, people need a fairy tale,” McKay told me. “Maybe that’s unfair, but they need a story line that’s relatively simple to understand.” "

" A dangerous idea has taken hold in modern politics, and the sooner it is discredited, the better. The idea is that political disagreements can be resolved by science. Its basic logic seems sensible: As good children of the Enlightenment, we should turn to science to establish the facts about problems such as climate change before deciding what policies to implement. Yet the types of things that scientists are good at figuring out don't have much to do with the types of things that politicians need to decide. "

UCLA's PR department announces the triumph of Pro-Test 5 minutes before the rally begins. Including a head count. Um.

" On Saturday April 24, 2010, the American Physiological Society sponsored a symposium on Trends in Animal Rights Activism and Extremism. This event, attended by about 100 people, was part of the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting, which was recently held in Anaheim, California. In introducing the symposium, session chair Bill Yates noted the importance of animal welfare, and the obligation of human beings to provide for the well-being, humane care, and judicious use of animals in research. However, some individuals reject the notion that research with animal models plays a critical role in advancing our understanding of biological processes and is essential to the search for cures. Some with this belief use tactics such as violence and intimidation to prevent researchers from conducting studies using animals. The intent of the symposium was to inform researchers about the tactics of animal rights extremists and what researchers and their institutions can do to protect themselves and their work. "

" I know that animal rights supporters do not share these views -- and my respect for them is certainly not contingent upon their sharing them. But I hope that they can acknowledge that what they identify as irony here is irony from the perspective of their ethical commitments but not from the perspective of my ethical commitments. "

" Time has come for the scientific community to make a concerted effort in condemning animal-rights extremism and in reaching out to the public to explain our work, its importance, and our commitment to the strictest ethical guidelines of animal research. A special effort should be made to emphasize the irreplaceable role for nonhuman primates in neuroscience research to the public. "

" Given the growing threats to animal research, the research community must explore ways to develop new allies to promote responsible animal research. This workshop will examine how to “widen the tent” by involving patient groups, health care providers, industry and others who have a vested interest in protecting responsible animal research. Participants also will focus on broadening the base of support by engaging leaders worldwide on the health and scientific breakthroughs made possible through animal research. "

" Talking to the public remains crucial. Sometimes, the threat of violence means that individual researchers will not wish to engage directly with the public and should even be cautioned against doing so. But there is no excuse for institutions that house animal research — including most research universities — not to have vigorous and well-defined programmes to explain what goes on within their walls. Institutions should publicize the high standards that they are required to meet before they can use animals. They should also discuss their strategies to replace animals with more sophisticated research tools, refine research practice and reduce the overall number of animals used. If they have no such strategies, institutions should develop them as a priority. "

" US researchers on Sunday defended animal testing, telling a small group at one of the biggest science conferences in the United States that not doing animal research would be unethical and cost human lives.

" The researchers, who are or have been involved in animal research, told a symposium at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) that testing on animals has led to 'dramatic developments in research that have improved and affected the quality of human life.'

" 'To not do animal testing would mean that we would not be able to bring treatments and interventions and cures in a timely way. And what that means is people would die,' Stuart Zola of Emory University, which is home to the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, told AFP after the symposium. "

" It does surprise me how animal testing seems to skip all the logical or rational checks people normally use when judging something and go straight for the moral outrage. "

" the animals engaged in aggressive behavior that has been widely documented for this species, and that also occurs when they live naturally in the wild ... Furthermore, the laboratory monkeys had been able to do this because they were housed socially, rather than individually. "