"As scientists wait for the public and policy-makers to sort out the controversies and ethical dilemmas surrounding human embryonic stem cell research, the United States could for the first time in modern history lose its leadership role in biomedical research," said Neal Lane, university professor at Rice and senior fellow in science and technology at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy. "We're bringing together experts from the worlds of science, business, government, journalism and academia to discuss whether the United States can and should be a leader in human embryonic stem cell research and to recommend how to engage the public in a dialogue on this vital issue."

Titled "Stem Cells: Saving Lives or Crossing Lines," the conference will address the medical, political and economic consequences of letting other nations take over the United States' leadership role in biomedical research, as well as the ethical issues that should be considered in regulating stem cell research if the U.S. government lifts restrictions on such studies.

Among the speakers will be Thomas Okarma, CEO and president of Geron Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company that has developed human embryonic stem cell technology for therapeutic and diagnostic products for cancer, and Suzi Leather, head of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the regulatory agency that controls human embryonic stem cell research in the U.K. Speakers from NBC News, 60 Minutes (CBS), National Institutes of Health, Harvard Business School, Cogene Biotech Ventures, Princeton University, Research!America, Michigan State University and other institutions and businesses are on the agenda als
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Contact: B.J. Almond
balmond@rice.edu
713-348-6770
Rice University
2-Nov-2004