Taxpayers need state’s stem-cells investment

Guest Column - Wisconsin State Journal

The recent guest column entitled, “Wisconsin’s entrepreneurs of the future,” by the head of Georgia’s Research Alliance commended the State Journal for urging Wisconsin to invest more in scientific research and development.

The writer was responding to a recent editorial about James Thomson’s research commercialization model which noted that Thomson has recently founded two companies based upon his stem cell research.

The writer then proceeded to tout Georgia’s own research alliance, designed to nurture the growth and success of young companies with research dollars and a state-wide university research infrastructure.

State support for a friendlier research environment for young companies like Thomson’s was seen in Gov. Jim Doyle’s recent announcement that companies sponsoring stem-cell research exclusively in Wisconsin will no longer have to buy a costly license to use Wisconsin’s leading stem-cell technology.

The governor’s generous support for his $750 million dollar public-private research initiative sent a message to the nation that Wisconsin intends to be the leader in this new and exciting field.

Clearly this message has also been received by hundreds of brilliant and enterprising scientists throughout our country. Wisconsin citizens can be proud of our governor.

Both our governor and the media regularly hammer home the view that a vibrant and growing stem cell research program in Wisconsin will produce high paying jobs for our state in the future.

What both governor and the media have failed to do, however, is to point out the narrow window of opportunity that exists for Wisconsin to lead this nascent research enterprise toward both higher paying jobs and, at the same time, affordable cures for Wisconsin citizens with cell-based diseases ---Parkinson’s and diabetes to mention only two.

Wisconsin needs a state wide, non-profit, non-partisan and independent consumer-based watchdog group to ensure that our taxpayers and future consumers of these stem cell discoveries can both afford and access them. As thousands of baby boomers are about to enter the health care delivery system as elders they will need both affordable and accessible treatments, many of them for cell-based diseases...

It seems ironic to me that a state with such progressive and innovative traditions as Wisconsin, which now presumes to be the preeminent leader in stem-cell research, may be a “Johnny-come-lately” in bringing more affordable and accessible medical treatments to all its citizens. The need for Wisconsin taxpayers to develop policy and rules to govern and control who owns any future stem cell discoveries made by for-profit businesses but funded in part or whole by the Wisconsin taxpayer is clear.

There also exists a need for greater transparency in the relationship between the Wisconsin’s Department of Administration (DOA), the University of Wisconsin (UW), including its affiliate the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and its subsidiary, The WiCell Research Institute, and other for-profit biotech commercial interests. Without greater citizen understanding and input into decisions regarding Wisconsin’s growing bio-tech industry, the cost to consumers will only increase.

Citizen advocates from the many cell-based disease groups need to band together and pull up a seat at the stem-cell stakeholders table and become full partners in these deliberations.

The fundamental question that Wisconsin taxpayers need to be asking is whether or not they will have any control over private profits from medical cures resulting from taxpayer funding of stem cell research. And, will the people’s representatives in our legislature step forward, before it is too late, to ensure that all Wisconsin taxpayers will benefit from more accessible, affordable and accountable medical products resulting from their stem cell invested tax dollars? The worst thing that Wisconsin taxpayers and potential consumers can do is to continue to sit passively by and rely on the promised “trickle down” effect.

Wisconsin citizens deserve better than that. They deserve both more affordable health care and jobs!