Codey to speak on stem cell funding

The public policy issues surrounding stem cell research are the focus of today's conference in Robertson Hall, sponsored by the University's Policy Research Institute for the Region.

Udai Tambar, who organized the event as assistant director of the Policy Research Institute, said acting New Jersey Gov. Richard Codey and other top policymakers will attend the "States and Stem Cells: A Symposium on the Policy and Economic Implications of State-Sponsored Stem Cell Research."

"The conference will address some of the questions you need to be grappling with if you are a state and are thinking about doing some publicly funded stem cell research," Tambar said. "Some issues include intellectual property rights, subsidizing the research, economic consequences including jobs, industries, diseases, and how to regulate it."

The conference will open with a keynote address by Paul Berg, a Nobel laureate and retired professor at Stanford.

Other notable guests include David Paterson, minority leader of the New York State Senate, and Neil Cohen, deputy majority leader of the New Jersey State Assembly.

The issue of state-sponsored stem cell research has risen to the top of the political agenda in New Jersey since former Governor James McGreevy allocated state funds for such research, Tambar said. Acting Gov. Codey has also supported stem cell research.

"The conference is not pro-stem cell research, but instead looks at it objectively from the policy side," Tambar said.

Berg, the keynote speaker, served as an advisor to the campaign for a ballot initiative to fund stem cell research in California.

"I think Princeton is very fortunate to have Berg be the keynote speaker because he is not only one of the leading molecular biologists of the past 40 years in the world, but he also is a true statesman of science," said Leon Rosenberg, a professor of molecular biology and public affairs who will introduce Berg at the conference. "He has been instrumental in bringing critical scientific issues to public attention."

Rosenberg said Berg would approach the stem cell issue not only as a scientific problem, but also as a policy objective.

"He will put into perspective the potential value of embryonic stem cell research and the hurdles — some political and some economic — which must be crossed if the promise of that research is to become a reality," Rosenberg said.

Tambar said the event will feature three panels discussing different aspects of stem cell research at the state level. They will address how states should design stem cell initiatives to maximize social benefits; the economic implications of state-funded research; and the challenges states face as they begin to oversee and eventually regulate state-funded research.

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Pending legislative approval, New Jersey voters will get their chance to influence the future of stem cell research in the state. A proposed referendum would allow them to cast ballots on whether $230 million dollars should be allocated for stem cell research.

Rosenberg believes today's conference will help states to step up funding for stem cell research. He cited the example of California, where voters approved pro-research Proposition 71 last fall.

"I think it will be very interesting to hear from several people in California what the passage of that Proposition 71 really has set in motion," Rosenberg said. "This is a precedent-setting activity, and it raises a considerable number of important questions, none of which have been completely answered."

Tambar said he believes the conference will advance the debate on a cutting-edge issue at the intersection of science and politics.

"In terms of policy issues, this is a current and provocative topic," he said. "For any student who is interested in science or policy, this is a good conference to attend because there is a good mix of interesting people from the government and nonprofits."