Friday, January 20, 2006

Conflicts of Interest and Connecticut's Stem Cell Research Program

Connecticut was one of four states to set up its own grant program to promote human stem cell research, funded with $100 million over 10 years. But as the state gears up to start giving away money, the Hartford Courant reported "the state stem cell advisory committee is dominated by members with connections to Yale and UConn [University of Connecticut], the two institutions expected to get the lion's share of the state funds."
A line from the movie Independence Day might be appropriate here, "Oops."
Another day, another conflict of interest.
In 1915, the American Association of University Professor's monumental Declaration of Principles said that the purposes of the university are
  • To promote inquiry and advance the sum of human knowledge.
  • To provide general instruction to the students.
  • To develop experts for various branches of the public service.
And where do we fit the universities' complex relationships with the Connecticut stem cell advisory committee?

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