In the summer of 2009, three Italian stem celli scientists unsuccessfully challenged their government in the courts over its decision to exclude human embryonic stem cell research from a ministerial funding call for projects on stem cell biology. In correspondence published in Nature on 10th February 2010, the scientists argue that their case is both politically and culturally significant. They believe that 'the exclusion of research that is legal and scientifically important amounts to an abuse of power.' Read the full Nature correspondence on the journal website Earlier this year, the Italian government made a public call for research proposals from stem cells scientists. The text of the call was prepared by a committee of stem cell scientists appointed by the government, and it made research on stem cells from all legal sources eligible for funding. However, when the 8-million-Euro fund was made available, a sentence had been introduced that explicitly excluded research on human embryonic stem cellsi. On 24 June 2009, Elena Cattaneo of the University of Milan, Elisabetta Cerbai of the University of Florence and Silvia Garagna of the University of Pavia filed a lawsuit against the government. Italian law permits research with established human embryonic cell lines and the scientists argued that the exclusion of such work from funding was an unconstitutional violation of academic freedom. Elena Cattaneo says: “To me it was like opening a call for proposals to build ecologically friendly cars, but excluding hydrogen power. Government decides the overall objectives for their funds – stem cells or cardiovascular disease, say – but the scientific community should be free to decide on the tools needed to meet those objectives.” On 16 July, just days before the deadline for submissions to the funding call, the government rejected the three scientists’ appeal. The group was told that scientists have no right to appeal as individuals; only institutions that are entitled to receive the funding – hospitals or universities – could appeal. The group will now take their case to the State Council. Cattaneo says: “We have a constitutional right to appeal against a public funding call that limits our freedom to do scientifically valuable research that is legal in our country.” Cattaneo has submitted an unnofficial application for funds for embryonic stem cell research, despite the official exclusion of such work. She believes the ban on embryonic stem cell research proposals must be lifted to protect academic freedom. The legal action has gained significant support from the research community across Europe. The Coordinators of EuroSyStem and ESTOOLS, two pan-European stem cell research projects that bring together leading scientists from 12 countries, have spoken out in support of the Italian scientists. Austin Smith, Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research in Cambridge and Coordinator of EuroSyStem, says: "This courageous action by three Italian scientists is a beacon to all who believe in freedom of research to advance human knowledge and understanding." Peter Andrews, Co-director of the Centre for Stem Cell Biology in Sheffield and Co-ordinator of ESTOOLS, also supports the action: "Peer-reviewed research, in which scientists make the key decisions about which projects to pursue, has been the bedrock of biological science over the past century. Its outcomes underpin much of modern medicine. I applaud this action by Elena Cattaneo and her colleagues in Italy in their fight to maintain this principle of academic freedom." The Italian scientists are now calling for further support from the scientific community for their action. Read how you can support the legal action . Support for the scientists’ action Related reportsBackground - news article published in August 2009
Italian scientists who challenged their government’s decision to exclude embryonic stem cell research from a major funding call have been told they have no right to appeal. They will now take their case to a higher court, the State Council, where they will argue that the decision violates their constitutional rights and puts academic freedom at risk.
Italian stem cell scientists challenge goverment - the story continues
Thu, 11/02/2010 - 11:46am — Emma