Australian support for stem cells grows

Two recent studies into public attitudes towards biotechnology in Australia show an increase in public support for the use of stem cells and gene therapies, while support for human cloning remains low, according to the government agency, Biotechnology Australia.

Craig Cormick, the Manager of Public Awareness for Biotechnology Australia told the conference of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia in Newcastle, Australia, that support for embryonic stem cell (ES cell) research has risen from 52 per cent to 65 per cent over the past four years, while support for adult stem cells has risen from 70 per cent to 78 per cent. He also said that support for human cloning remained below 10 per cent, although he did not specify whether the survey differentiated between therapeutic and reproductive cloning.

The studies also found that awareness of stem cell applications was far higher than understanding of stem cell applications, and that perceptions of benefits outweighed perceptions of risks. While about 82 per cent of those surveyed believe that stem cell technologies will improve quality of life in the future, about 70 per cent expect that this will happen in the next five years.

'On the issue of ES cell use, attitudes appear to be driven by a complex value chain that is influenced by an individual's personal moral position, the source of the ES cells, the benefits of the technology and the levels of social trust', said Cormick. 'When asked to define their main moral and ethical concerns about the use of human embryos, the majority of respondents gave the broad responses 'no concern' (33 per cent) or 'potential abuse of the technology' (28 per cent). Compared to last year, however, we have seen that people are more able to articulate specific concerns', he added. The main concerns identified were 'destroying life to save a life', 'playing God', and the 'source of the stem cells'.

In addition, there was strong support of about 70 per cent for the use of gene technologies to treat diseases, while support for what were seen as more trivial or cosmetic applications, such as making children more average weight or more intelligent, was low, at 27 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. Support for genetic testing of unborn children, however, has risen from 54 per cent to 67 per cent.

The findings are based on two separate studies, one by Market Attitude Research Services, which tracked attitudes over four years, and the other by Eureka Strategic research which looked at more complex attitudes in relation to other uses of biotechnology. Both had sample sizes of over 1000 people. The information from these studies could be useful to the independent committee that is currently reviewing Australia's human cloning and embryo research laws. The committee is expected to report to the Australian parliament in December.

In other news, the Sydney Catholic Archdiocese has announced that it will fund a $100,000 grant for research on adult stem cells, citing the promising results in treating disease using these therapies. The Church remains opposed to ES cell research, but has given in-principle support for research on stem cells from adults. Grant applications will be judged by a panel of scientists working for the archdiocese, and will be judged for their scientific rigor and promise as well as their adherence to Church ethical guidelines.