National Academy of Sciences

THE NATIONAL ACADEMY of Sciences (NAS) is the leading scientific community in the United States. It is composed of invited citizen members and foreign associates who represent the most prominent and highly regarded scientific researchers in engineering as well as life sciences, who use their research for the improvement of general welfare. It is one of the National Academies; other Academies are the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council.

President Abraham Lincoln created the NAS on March 3, 1863. It was to serve the government to “investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art,” according to its Act of Incorporation. Its role is thus to provide scientific advice that will shape public policy. Over time, the NAS expanded into the four National Academies, of which the current NAS is one member Academy. The NAS headquarters are in Washington, D.C. The NAS is led by a council composed of 12 councilors and 5 officers. These leaders are elected annually by the Academy.

As the national scientific advisor, the Academy has been asked to address stem cell research. On December 8, 2003, then Academy President Bruce Alberts issued a statement against the proposed United Nations global law banning somatic cell nuclear transfer. In this statement, the Academy position was defined as explicitly opposed to cloning of human beings, yet in favor of scientific research that would lead to therapeutic regenerative medicine.

To explain its stance on stem cell research for medicine versus human cloning, the Academy has published two major studies: Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine (2001) and Scientific and Medical Aspects of Human Reproductive Cloning (2002). The first publication was authored by the Committee on the Biological and Biomédical Applications of Stem Cell Research, the Board on Life Sciences National Research Council, and the Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health Institute of Medicine. It addresses adult and embryonic stem cells, and includes a chapter titled “Opportunities for and Barriers to Progress in Stem Cell Research for Regenerative Medicine.” Importantly, as its first finding, the study concludes that while research in mouse and other species stem cells is important, it is not a sufficient [Page 364]substitute for human study, and it therefore recommends that “studies with human stem cells are essential to make progress in the development of treatment for human disease, and this research should continue.”

The second publication was authored by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy, Policy and Global Affairs Division; the Board on Life Sciences, Division on Earth and Life Studies; and the other three Academies within the National Academies. It addresses cloning—animal, human, and in the context of assisted reproduction. As a major finding, the study proposes to ban human reproductive cloning. This type of cloning is defined as the cloning of an individual human. This opposition being outlined and defended, the study then continues to support somatic cell nuclear transfer as a method for research of stem cells for therapeutic purposes. Major disease populations cited by the study as potentially benefiting from this research include Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease, as well as spinal cord injury patients.

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