Lead Into Gold: Al Gore to Fund IPSCs
Al Gore is set to head a venture capital foray into the very promising field of induced pluripotent stem cell research. From the story:
Former vice president Al Gore is entering the stem cell arena with an announcement today of a $20 million biotech venture in the hot area of "induced pluripotent" stem cells. Induced cells are attracting interest from researchers and biotech firms as an alternative to embryonic stem cells. Induced cells are made by inserting four genes into ordinary skin cells, and they offer a new path for "regenerative" medical treatments.Too bad President Obama doesn't see it the same way: He revoked President Bush's executive order that would have required that promising areas of "alternatives" (to ESC) research, such as IPSCs, receive federal funding.
"I just think it's a very important breakthrough that is filled with promise and hope," says Gore, a partner with the venture-capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, which is backing the research. "I think this is one of those good news stories that comes along every once in a while."
I could make a lame joke about Gore adding to carbon emissions by the lights that will be left on by these researchers and the emissions they will cause when driving to work, but I'll let it pass. (Isn't that snarky? I made the joke but pretended I didn't. I hate that!) Gore sees a real chance to make money in this field and he is grabbing it.Applause.
Labels: Lead Into Gold. IPSCs. Al Gore. Venture Capital Investment.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 8:37 AM
9 Comments
9 Comments:
Good for Al Gore. I'm proud to for once be on the same wavelength as he is.
Too bad President Obama doesn't see it the same way: He revoked President Bush's executive order that would have required that promising areas of "alternatives" (to ESC) research, such as IPSCs, receive federal funding.More Cow Maure from SHS
There has been ZERO evidence that Obama's actions have negatively affected any research using IPSc.
Obama took the shackles off of all stem cell research.
IPSc is a direct result of studying Embryonic Stem Cell research and understanding how to create pluripotent cells more effectively.
Without Embryonic Stem Cell research breakthroughs the IPSc research that Welsey is soo concerned about never would have happened!
Wow, I'm really impressed with that. A lot of times I've thought of Al Gore as an ideologue, but this is really great and shows that he sincerely wants to help people with degenerative illnesses instead of trying to tow a party line for someone. Good for him!!!!!!!!!
Here is a vocabulary booster I sent my daughter some time ago. I think I picked this up on the Volokh Conspiracy.
“Paralipsis, also known as praeteritio, preterition, cataphasis, antiphrasis, or parasiopesis, is a rhetorical figure of speech wherein the speaker or writer invokes a subject by denying that it should be invoked. As such, it can be seen as a rhetorical relative of irony. Paralipsis is usually employed to make a subversive ad hominem attack.”
Dark Swan - what shackles? Is it your view that only the federal government can do anything, ever? No part for state governments to play? No part for privately-funded research?
I'll step in to answer the "shackles" question for DS.
Bush restricted embryonic stem cells to the small number of lines already in existence. I know some stem cell researchers and from what they told me, I'd compare it to working with one hand and four out of the five other fingers held behind their back. It is to their very great credit that they made any progress at all, and their progress includes the development of IPSC's.
As for the funding, state governments did step in (to Wesley's chagrin) in Wisconsin and California at least. Private funders won't come in until there's profit to be made, which is not yet the case with embryonic cells. When it comes to big basic research, the feds are the only real alternative.
Padraig: Sigh. Bush didn't restrict stem cell research to the small number of lines. He restricted FEDERAL FUNDING to that small number of lines. ESCR STILL had BILLIONS in funding in the USA alone, and that funding used any old or new stem cell line that the scientists wanted. Moreover, Bush gave nearly $200 million for human ESCR. Bush's policy was also explicitly in keeping with federalism so that states and philanthropists (not too many venture capitalists) could step in. The Feds are hardly the only real alternative. If you read some of my posts post Obama, you will now see that some of the scientists are whining that with O in office, they will receive LESS money. Never satisfied, those guys.
Thomson's work on ISPS involved BUSH APPPROVED lines, and Yamanaka didn't use ESCs at all.
Well he's going to make money from this. Everyone has their finest hour. His was his concession speech. What can we expect the world to be like when the current and just-past presidents all have had substance abuse issues, and this pothead almost became president, has won a Nobel prize, and is now flying around touting global warming and investing in scientific research. Enough people have been dopeheads so that this is what we've got. A whole world of people, and its leaders, with brain damage, not to mention a proclivity to want to escape reaity, and then we wonder why there is a death culture. With respect to Gore's enthusiasm of the moment, not to mention a lucrative one, the phrase "even a broken clock is right twice a day" comes to mind.
Not a long leap from wanting to alter one's perception of reality with mind-altering drugs to the death culture, and to transhumanism, is it. One doesn't like reality, one aborts the unwanted child, asks for disconnection from life support in advance (not even knowing what the circumstances will be, mind one), asks for assised suicide, decides to "improve" matters via embryo selection, genetic engineering, transhumanism, etc. Usually these suggestions and decisions on behalf of someone else, or without being in full possession of knowledge of what the facts actually will be, of course. But that's ok, reality and being don't matter enough to be he ultimate values, do they. There's "something else," after all.
Ianthe, if you had a blog I would read it every day.
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