November 17, 2005

CNS Foundation Statement on Status of Collaboration with World Stem Cell Hub

Like many potential collaborators of Dr. Hwang’s and Dr. Schatten’s, CNS Foundation was taken by surprise by Dr. Schatten’s announcement on 12 November.  Based upon information shared with us prior to the 12th, we saw that the World Stem Cell Hub would implement strong ethical safeguards based upon long-standing principles of medical ethics (such as review by an Institutional Review Board) as well as the guidelines recently announced by the National Academies of Science.  We have no reason to believe that this would still not be the case. 

CNS Foundation feels that it is best to allow Dr. Hwang sufficient time to investigate the matter at hand before continuing with our review of the grant proposal submitted by the World Stem Cell Hub.  We hope that this matter will be appropriately resolved so their ground-breaking scientific research can responsibly move forward in South Korea and around the world.

CNS first came to support Dr. Hwang’s and Dr. Schatten’s research because theirs was the only team we knew of that was ready and able to make cells derived by nuclear transfer available to the global research community.  The scientists studying childhood brain diseases urgently need experimental models that more closely reflect these disorders in order to someday develop new cures and treatments for them.  Our interest in funding research at the World Stem Cell Hub is in line with our mission of accelerating science towards therapies that may help millions of special-needs children.