Public advocates, private advisors: the autonomy, function, and influence of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

US national expert advisory bodies related to science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy have a wide range of missions, governing structures, operational practices, cultures, and impact on federal policymaking. This paper offers an analytical framework for assessing the autonomy, function, and influence of of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), a federal advisory committee consisting of 30 elite scientists, engineers, and industry leaders appointed by and advising the president. We demonstrate that PCAST carries both a strong instrumental advisory role, providing substantive advice to White House STI policy development, and a significant symbolic advisory role, offering visible public support to presidential decisions and initiatives related to STI.

Trajectories of biomedical research leading to Nobel Prize-winning discoveries.

Significant advancements in public health come from scientific discoveries, but more are needed to meet the ever-growing societal needs. Examining the best practices of outstanding scientists may help develop future researchers and lead to more discoveries. This study compared the comprehensive work of 49 Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine from 2000 to 2019 to a matched control of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded biomedical investigators.

Personal rights over public Health: Anti-vaccine rhetoric in the Texas Legislature.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an observed increase in anti-vaccine sentiment linked with requirements for the vaccines. But how did these ideas impact the politics of vaccines? In this paper, the authors analyze witness statements from the 2021 Texas Legislative Session during vaccine-related hearings. Specifically, the research focused on five hearings for bills that related to vaccine requirements or vaccine transparency laws filed during the 2021Texas Legislative Session and witnesses who opposed these measures.

US state laws on medical freedom and investigational stem cell procedures: a call to focus on state-based legislation.

The premature marketing of investigational stem cell interventions (SCIs) is a growing market in the US. Several US states have passed legislation to permit and promote unproven and experimental SCIs for individuals with terminal or chronic diseases. These SCI medical freedom laws, which are largely based on right-to-try legislation, increase access to experimental SCIs with little to no oversight.

Transparency in controversial research: A review of human embryo research publication ethical disclosure statements.

In 2021, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) released updated guidelines that included human embryo research guidance. Requiring ethics statements in publications using human embryos is one way to verify adherence to these guidelines. A review of top-tier biomedical journal requirements identified only one publisher that requires a human embryo statement.

Ethical, legal, regulatory, and policy issues concerning embryoids: a systematic review of the literature.

Recent advances in methods to culture pluripotent stem cells to model human development have resulted in entities that increasingly have recapitulated advanced stages of early embryo development. These entities, referred to by numerous terms such as embryoids, are becoming more sophisticated and could resemble human embryos ever more closely as research progresses. This paper reports a systematic review of the ethical, legal, regulatory, and policy questions and concerns found in the literature concerning human embryoid research published from 2016 to 2022.

Can we do that here? An analysis of US federal and state policies guiding human embryo and embryoid research.

Recent technological advances have helped scientists understand early human development. However, scientists' ability to fully explore their potential comes in conflict with national and state-level policies in the USA. In 2016, for the first time, researchers were able to grow human embryos in culture up to 14 days but stopped because of scientific and legal limits.

Unproven stem cell interventions: A global public health problem requiring global deliberation.

The unproven stem cell intervention (SCI) industry is a global health problem. Despite efforts of some nations, the industry continues to flourish. In this paper, we call for a global approach and the establishment of a World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Advisory Committee on Regenerative Medicine to tackle this issue and provide guidance.

Stem cell-based models of embryos: The need for improved naming conventions.

Stem cell-based models of embryos are known by various names, with different naming conventions, leading to confusion regarding their composition and potential. We propose the need for a general term for the field to promote public engagement and the development of a systematic nomenclature system to differentiate between specific models.

Rethinking Human Embryo Research Policies.

It now seems technically feasible to culture human embryos beyond the "fourteen-day limit," which has the potential to increase scientific understanding of human development and perhaps improve infertility treatments. The fourteen-day limit was adopted as a compromise but subsequently has been considered an ethical line. Does it remain relevant in light of technological advances permitting embryo maturation beyond it? Should it be changed and, if so, how and why? What justifications would be necessary to expand the limit, particularly given that doing so would violate some people's moral commitments regarding human embryos? Robust stakeholder engagement preceded adoption of the fourteen-day limit and should arguably be part of efforts to reassess it.

International scientific collaborative activities and barriers to them in eight societies.

Scientific research increasingly requires international collaboration among scientists. Less is known, however, about the barriers that impede such collaboration. In this pioneering study, more than 9000 scientists from eight societies - the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Turkey, and France - were surveyed to gauge scientists' attitudes and experiences.

Are we ready to genetically modify a human embryo? Or is it too late to ask?

After the announcement that a scientist genetically altered human embryos and implanted them for gestation last November, the increased discussion has revolved around the ethical lapses that occurred in the process. The scientist, He Jiankui, forged ethical approval documents, chose a disease target that is preventable and treatable, and did not replicate a naturally occurring mutation, creating a new mutation instead. Aside from these and other ethical concerns about his procedure and protocol, several fundamental questions remain: should scientists be altering the human germline at this time and, if so, under what circumstances? If not, under what circumstances might such research be permissible, if at all? And who should make these decisions? We believe that it is too early for this research to be conducted in embryos intended for gestation.

Public-private divide: cultural and social factors in women's attitudes toward cord blood banking in Jordan.

Background: Private cord blood (CB) banking is more widespread than public banking in Jordan, contributing to misinformation and unequal access to resources. This study elucidates unique perspectives of women in Jordan toward CB banking for the purpose of national and international policymaking, ethics, and education.

Study Design And Methods: The authors developed and disseminated a questionnaire to women in maternity outpatient clinic waiting rooms in five different hospitals in Jordan.

Responding to Richard: Celebrity and (mis)representation of science.

Drawing on 48 in-depth interviews conducted with biologists and physicists at universities in the United Kingdom, this study examines scientists' perceptions of the role celebrity scientists play in socially contentious public debates. We examine Richard Dawkins' involvement in public debates related to the relationship between science and religion as a case to analyze scientists' perceptions of the role celebrity scientists play in the public sphere and the implications of celebrity science for the practice of science communication. Findings show that Dawkins' proponents view the celebrity scientist as a provocateur who asserts the cultural authority of science in the public sphere.

Erratum: Revisiting the Warnock rule.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/nbt.4015.

Assessing women's knowledge and attitudes toward cord blood banking: policy and ethical implications for Jordan.

Background: Despite the global expansion of umbilical cord blood (CB) banking, little is known about public opinion and awareness, especially among Arab Muslim populations. CB banking raises policy questions about funding sustainability and quality standards, as well as ethical debates about profitability, informed consent, and medical justification. This study is the first of its kind in the Arab world, and Jordan has a unique, understudied, yet highly relevant setting, especially as a regional medical hub with advanced medical and health policy infrastructures.

Unproven stem cell-based interventions and achieving a compromise policy among the multiple stakeholders.

Background: In 2004, patient advocate groups were major players in helping pass and implement significant public policy and funding initiatives in stem cells and regenerative medicine. In the following years, advocates were also actively engaged in Washington DC, encouraging policy makers to broaden embryonic stem cell research funding, which was ultimately passed after President Barack Obama came into office. Many advocates did this because they were told stem cell research would lead to cures.

A Need for Renewed and Cohesive US Policy on Cord Blood Banking.

Stem cells obtained from umbilical cord blood (CB) are used to treat more than 80 different diseases and are a standard treatment for many types of leukemias, lymphomas, myelodysplasias, and inherited immune system disorders. CB transplants have been carried out in humans for over 25 years, and hundreds of clinical trials are currently underway investigating CB's therapeutic potential for a wide range of disorders, including autism, diabetes, cerebral palsy, and spinal cord injury. Extensive storage facilities have been established in the United States and around the world to collect, test, and freeze CB for later use in medical procedures.

Cord Blood Banking in the Arab World: Current Status and Future Developments.

Umbilical cord blood transplants are now used to treat numerous types of immune- and blood-related disorders and genetic diseases. Cord blood (CB) banks play an important role in these transplants by processing and storing CB units. In addition to their therapeutic potential, these banks raise ethical and regulatory questions, especially in emerging markets in the Arab world.

U.S. National Football League athletes seeking unproven stem cell treatments.

From professionals to weekend warriors, many athletes seek unproven stem cell (SC) treatments in an effort to heal injuries nonsurgically and/or to accelerate recovery times after surgery. Among the elite athletes opting for these treatments are high-profile U.S.