The George Steinbrenner approach to stem cell research?
Further to an IPBiz post on 31 May 06 about Star-Ledger reporting on the proposed NJ bond issue on stem cells, Tom Hester of the Star-Ledger followed up with an article on June 27, 2006 which has several points of relevance.
1. The lack of action on the bond issues was confirmed:
A two-bill package championed by Senate President Richard Codey that would pump $480 million or more into stem cell research in New Jersey has stalled in the Legislature until at least the autumn, its prime Assembly sponsor said yesterday [June 26].
Any reports suggesting that the New Jersey legislature passed a bond issue on stem cell research are simply wrong.
2. There was a reference to my state senator, Walter Kavanaugh:
Sen. Walter J. Kavanaugh (R-Somerset), a committee member who uses a wheelchair, told the audience he is a victim of spinal cord damage, proposed the measure be amended to prevent using stem cells taken from human embryos for research. When his proposal was defeated, he voted against the legislation.
3. There was a complaint of sorts from one of the potential recipients of money:
Wise Young, chairman of Cell Biology and Neuro Science at Rutgers University in Piscataway, said California is gaining the lead in stem cell research, and New Jersey risks falling behind if the $230 million is not quickly approved.
"There will be a giant sucking sound from the West Coast, and we will have a very difficult time recruiting scientists to the East Coast," he said.
This last point produced a letter to the editor of the Star-Ledger on July 7, 2006:
I was quite disturbed to read that Wise Young, chairman of cell biology and neuro science at Rutgers in Piscataway, was upset that his center has not yet received the $230 million in stem cell funding that was previously proposed. He was upset that California was gaining a lead in stem cell research and that New Jersey risks falling behind. Shame on Young. Apparently, this issue isn't about finding remedies for diseases but more about academic egos and who is first.
If California is indeed ahead, great. Let's tell Young to move to California. Then let's take all the money that was proposed for this research, including the construction money, and use it to lower property taxes or fund the state pension system. It now sounds like the stem cell legislation was just another scam on taxpayers.
After New Jersey's fiscal crisis of July 2006, one wonders how the proposed expenditure on stem cell research will fly with New Jersey taxpayers.
Also, the reference to "academic egos" reminds one of text in the californiastemcellreport:
"Nothing good ever came to CAN (Shestack's group) without us giving things away. The more CAN gave things away and didn't worry about ownership or getting credit or getting cited, the better it was for us, not as an institution, but to the field. I have this deep feeling that the more you give it away the better it will be."
The problem here is that intellectual property rights, such as those at issue between CIRM and WARF, are not about "giving things away." Further, as is evident in the patent applications filed (independently) by Hwang and Schatten, one sees that "academic egos" can be involved in intellectual property matters. Moreover, some of the departures from Roslin and Newcastle illustrate that "academic egos" alone can be a problem.
The issues mentioned by Wise Young might be more appropriate to a discussion of George Steinbrenner buying up ballplayers. For medical research matters, there shouldn't be a "major league of stem cell research" with different states comprising competing teams and fighting to get the top researchers, all using the money of taxpayers. Further, if intellectual property matters don't get resolved, the folks of California are going to be surprised about who gets a big chunk of their $3 billion.
***to californiastemcellreport on 21 Aug 09-->
Of the text about “franchise players” and “pardigm-shifting” researchers, a "franchise player" is likely one recognized by peers as doing peer-accepted research and would be the least-likely person to be a paradigm-shifter. In 2006, IPBiz had a post
The George Steinbrenner approach to stem cell research? which included the text:
The issues mentioned by Wise Young might be more appropriate to a discussion of George Steinbrenner buying up ballplayers. For medical research matters, there shouldn't be a "major league of stem cell research" with different states comprising competing teams and fighting to get the top researchers, all using the money of taxpayers. Further, if intellectual property matters don't get resolved, the folks of California are going to be surprised about who gets a big chunk of their $3 billion. Of past acts of buying up "franchise players," see
Nayernia to join stem cell effort at Newcastle
and recall Nayernia just had a paper retracted because of plagiarism (and likely involving over-hype).
1. The lack of action on the bond issues was confirmed:
A two-bill package championed by Senate President Richard Codey that would pump $480 million or more into stem cell research in New Jersey has stalled in the Legislature until at least the autumn, its prime Assembly sponsor said yesterday [June 26].
Any reports suggesting that the New Jersey legislature passed a bond issue on stem cell research are simply wrong.
2. There was a reference to my state senator, Walter Kavanaugh:
Sen. Walter J. Kavanaugh (R-Somerset), a committee member who uses a wheelchair, told the audience he is a victim of spinal cord damage, proposed the measure be amended to prevent using stem cells taken from human embryos for research. When his proposal was defeated, he voted against the legislation.
3. There was a complaint of sorts from one of the potential recipients of money:
Wise Young, chairman of Cell Biology and Neuro Science at Rutgers University in Piscataway, said California is gaining the lead in stem cell research, and New Jersey risks falling behind if the $230 million is not quickly approved.
"There will be a giant sucking sound from the West Coast, and we will have a very difficult time recruiting scientists to the East Coast," he said.
This last point produced a letter to the editor of the Star-Ledger on July 7, 2006:
I was quite disturbed to read that Wise Young, chairman of cell biology and neuro science at Rutgers in Piscataway, was upset that his center has not yet received the $230 million in stem cell funding that was previously proposed. He was upset that California was gaining a lead in stem cell research and that New Jersey risks falling behind. Shame on Young. Apparently, this issue isn't about finding remedies for diseases but more about academic egos and who is first.
If California is indeed ahead, great. Let's tell Young to move to California. Then let's take all the money that was proposed for this research, including the construction money, and use it to lower property taxes or fund the state pension system. It now sounds like the stem cell legislation was just another scam on taxpayers.
After New Jersey's fiscal crisis of July 2006, one wonders how the proposed expenditure on stem cell research will fly with New Jersey taxpayers.
Also, the reference to "academic egos" reminds one of text in the californiastemcellreport:
"Nothing good ever came to CAN (Shestack's group) without us giving things away. The more CAN gave things away and didn't worry about ownership or getting credit or getting cited, the better it was for us, not as an institution, but to the field. I have this deep feeling that the more you give it away the better it will be."
The problem here is that intellectual property rights, such as those at issue between CIRM and WARF, are not about "giving things away." Further, as is evident in the patent applications filed (independently) by Hwang and Schatten, one sees that "academic egos" can be involved in intellectual property matters. Moreover, some of the departures from Roslin and Newcastle illustrate that "academic egos" alone can be a problem.
The issues mentioned by Wise Young might be more appropriate to a discussion of George Steinbrenner buying up ballplayers. For medical research matters, there shouldn't be a "major league of stem cell research" with different states comprising competing teams and fighting to get the top researchers, all using the money of taxpayers. Further, if intellectual property matters don't get resolved, the folks of California are going to be surprised about who gets a big chunk of their $3 billion.
***to californiastemcellreport on 21 Aug 09-->
Of the text about “franchise players” and “pardigm-shifting” researchers, a "franchise player" is likely one recognized by peers as doing peer-accepted research and would be the least-likely person to be a paradigm-shifter. In 2006, IPBiz had a post
The George Steinbrenner approach to stem cell research? which included the text:
The issues mentioned by Wise Young might be more appropriate to a discussion of George Steinbrenner buying up ballplayers. For medical research matters, there shouldn't be a "major league of stem cell research" with different states comprising competing teams and fighting to get the top researchers, all using the money of taxpayers. Further, if intellectual property matters don't get resolved, the folks of California are going to be surprised about who gets a big chunk of their $3 billion. Of past acts of buying up "franchise players," see
Nayernia to join stem cell effort at Newcastle
and recall Nayernia just had a paper retracted because of plagiarism (and likely involving over-hype).
posted by Lawrence B. Ebert at 9:30 PM
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