Is there hope for bipartisan support of science these days? I think so, but we’re in a big hole here in the US. Plus, some of the leaders are digging. Still, new proposed legislation provides a bit of hope.
Before we get into that, Cathy Tie, whose Manhattan Project intends to make gene-edited babies right here in the US, has a new video. I posted it further down in today’s piece. Both this new video and her Manhattan Project introduction video on the channel start off oddly. Almost giddily and primarily focused on Tie herself. I guess the newest video is a play on the Barbie movie.
At other points in the videos, she seems appropriately serious.
I’m curious what you readers of The Niche think of the videos.
Okay, let’s circle back to science and politics.
Bipartisan science support
Bipartisan Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Bill Heading toward Floor Action, Doris Matsui’s office. This appears to be a very positive piece of legislation co-sponsored by Rep. Doris Matsui who represents a region of Northern California near me. On to more but less positive politics impacting science.
Politics at the NIH and FDA
Part of the highly partisan atmosphere in the US now related to biomedical science at the federal level is the pattern of leaders at the FDA and NIH. They seem very political.
I wrote on Friday about how NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly will ban funding of fetal tissue research. That’s all politics and not about what’s best for science or patients.
This pattern also includes Commissioner Makary and on-again-off-again CBER leader Vinay Prasad. To be fair, Prasad’s ouster via Laura Loomer was also extreme politics of another kind. Further, Makary apparently fought this political BS to bring Prasad back and succeeded, so that’s something where politics didn’t win out.
Prasad is not very present at CBER
Speaking of Prasad, based on this new Mother Jones piece, it sounds like he’s not exactly a hands-on leader: Vinay Prasad, Who Is Making It Harder to Get the Covid Vax, Barely Comes Into Office. The FDA Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research has also criticized work-from-home policies. Working from home is an important option in most fields, but a CBER leader needs to be present at the agency.
The piece reports that he seems to only be there at the FDA about 1.5 days a week on average. I guess he doesn’t want to move closer to DC since he lives here in California? In contrast, my impression was that former CBER Director Peter Marks was a very present leader and worked extremely hard.
There’s also some hypocrisy here, as Prasad has said before that working from home is bad for everyone.
Hair follicle awakening and supposed ickiness?
- This Breakthrough Drug Wakes Up Sleepy Hair Follicles, Popular Mechanics. Everything is a breakthrough for some media outlets?
- Check out #7 in this list of supposedly Icky things that Mary Roach made the author aware of at some point: “There is a stem-cell follicle-regeneration lab in California.” What the heck is icky about stem cell hair follicle regeneration? Does anyone get this supposed ick? Much of the research in this hair stem cell space is to help people with medical conditions that cause hair loss, including forms of alopecia. Some of the other things on the list could reasonably be considered kind of gross, but I gotta say this NYT piece seems questionable. I guess it’s more of a book review-esque thing?
More recommended reads
- Human stem cells age more rapidly in space, study finds, Engadget. Gene expression also changes up in space. This all fits with space being quite bad for humans. So much for those moon and Mars colonies of sci-fi and Musk’s dreams? Maybe there are ways to protect our cells and DNA from the harsh realities of space. This is important research.
- The ISSCR Partners with Nuffield Council on Bioethics to Compile Global Horizon Scan on Stem Cell Research, ISSCR. This is a positive step. A lot will depend on how inclusive this partnership turns out to be.
- Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Therapy Shows No Significant Benefit in Knee Osteoarthritis, MedScape. We’re all still waiting to see if SCOTUS will take the Cell Surgical Network case that centers on adipose cell clinics.