University Stem Cell R&D Initiative

Background: Stem cell researchers encounter risks of using poorly characterized technologies, infringing multiple patents, & violating proscribed ethical standards. This project takes an integrated approach, as it flows from a dialogue among a bioethicist, an economist, and a scientist, each of whom has previously raised critiques and advanced suggestions for the conduct of stem cell R&D— including issues of ethical governance, intellectual property (IP) and technology licensing, and technical data sharing. Out of these discussions, it has become clear that a coordinated effort addressing technical, proprietary, and ethical domains together could significantly facilitate a more efficient, fair, and ethically- accountable advance of stem cell research.

Proposal: We propose an institutional mechanism to coordinate the conduct and governance of human stem cell R&D: a collaboration among academic institutions to collect and make available information detailing the technical, proprietary, and ethical characteristics of cell lines and research tools developed at participating institutions.

Proposal objectives:

• Achieve efficiency gains in solving complex technical problems once for many users.
• Create a robust process to establish technology standards that are widely vetted & trusted.
• Create a “protected commons” for stem cell R&D: preserves property rights while facilitating access. [not “open source”]
• Create a novel forum to deliberate and decide on the “best” and most feasible ethical options.

View the one-page summary of the proposal (PDF)

A longer discussion of these ideas are in "Enabling Stem Cell Research and Development" (April 27, 2007). Center for the Study of Law and Society Jurisprudence and Social Policy Program Working Papers.  Paper 48 (http://repositories.cdlib.org/csls/fwp/48).

In Fall 2007, we will have a conference to start up a dialogue among interested parties, and correspondingly we welcome your participation and thoughts. Please contact Krishanu Saha, Department of Chemical Engineering saha@berkeley.edu