Nov 27 2007
The UK's two biggest public funders of stem cell research have today launched a year-long national dialogue programme that aims to find out what the public really think about stem cell science.
The programme will be the largest ever conducted in the UK on public attitudes towards and awareness of stem cell research.
With support from the Government's Sciencewise programme, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) will run a public dialogue throughout 2008 – at a time when the legislation on this area of research is being debated in Parliament and as the possibility of stem therapies in the clinic draws closer. As the two organisations that invest the most public money in stem cell science, BBSRC and MRC can ensure that the dialogue will inform future policy in this area.
The Sciencewise oversight group, made up of scientists, social scientists and ethicists, will oversee a programme of workshops across the UK that will bring members of the public and stem cell scientists together to discuss the future of the science and the issues raised. Alongside these, detailed interviews with key stakeholders will aim to uncover both the potential of stem cell science in the UK, and people's attitudes, awareness and expectations around this exciting but often controversial area of science.
Science and Innovation Minister Ian Pearson said: "Stem cell research offers enormous potential to deliver new treatments for many devastating diseases which affect huge numbers of people, and where there is currently no effective cure. Britain is a world-leader in stem cell research. That is why I am pleased that, through Sciencewise, the Government is supporting this project to bring scientists and the public together to identify public expectations, aspirations and concerns about stem cell research. "I believe that now is the right time to increase active public engagement with science and technology. Bringing scientists, government and the public together to explore the impact of science and technology in our lives is vital if we are to respond to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. Projects like this will help to ensure scientific work is relevant to society and that the public have trust in science."
The launch of the dialogue programme comes as results from the latest snapshot of public opinion on stem cell research showed that public support remains high and is climbing. The British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) Omnibus Survey of 1,013 people showed that 73% of the UK public support embryonic stem cell research under current or tighter Government regulation, up 11 percentage points from a Eurobarometer survey in 2005 asking the same question.
Dr Chris Mason, a stem cell scientist from UCL and member of the Sciencewise project oversight group, said: "Stem cell research is an enormously fast-moving area of research, with new developments reported almost daily. It's just as important that scientists have an understanding and awareness of public attitudes to this type of research as it is for us to be able to explain how and why we want to do this science.”
While the public will benefit from greater information about stem cell research through direct engagement with scientists, the exercise will culminate in a series of workshops to feed back to policy makers and the stem cell community the public's hopes and concerns.
Sarah Cunningham-Burley, professor of medical and family sociology at the University of Edinburgh and also on the project oversight group, said: "As this technology moves on it's important that we ensure that we are using the most sophisticated methods possible for understanding and contextualising public attitudes to research." Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics and oversight group member, said: "This is an important project which will engage the public more directly with the scientific community and explore critical ethical issues in a productive and forward looking way."
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