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Thanks for this information Ray. There was an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune in June 2006 about Dr. Rao leaving the NIH. Explains very clearly the problems with bush's stem cell policy and how it is impeding the research.

from: San Diego Union Tribune

Frustrated by narrow U.S. policy, top government scientist moved to InvitrogenBy Terri Somers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
June 13, 2006 Mahendra Rao was the federal government's face of embryonic stem cell research for four years.

He spoke at scientific meetings around the world, collaborated with scientists around the country, lectured extensively at universities and published articles in respected scientific journals.
But in September, Rao quit what should be a coveted job at the National Institute on Aging, citing frustration with federal funding restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research.
“I found the policy too restrictive and it made it increasingly difficult for one to do things,” Rao said.
In January, Rao joined the Carlsbad biotechnology tool company Invitrogen as vice president of research for its new stem-cell program. The company promised Rao access to its labs around the world, where he can pursue embryonic stem-cell research unfettered by the politics of the U.S. government.
U.S. policy, Rao said, is squashing the ability of U.S. researchers to compete globally. “The U.S. historically has been the leader in technology and biotechnology. The National Institutes of Health has historically led the way by setting guidelines and standards. But the government has abdicated that role when it comes to embryonic stem-cell research,” Rao said.
Rao's departure was big news in scientific circles.
“I really felt for for him because of the hoops he would have to jump through; he had a lot of responsibility, but not enough power,” said Jeanne Loring, a stem-cell researcher at the Burnham Institute in La Jolla who has collaborated with Rao.
The 45-year-old Rao has dedicated most of his professional life to the study of embryonic stem cells, which are created just days after fertilization and ultimately can divide and develop into any cell types in the body.
It is the morphing ability of the embryonic stem cell that has led scientists to believe they could be used one day to create patient-specific cells for transplantation into patients with some of society's most devastating diseases. They might also be used to study the cause and progression of disease, and for testing new therapies.
Rao, a neurobiologist, has been using embryonic stem cells as a crystal ball into the human neurological system, observing how the cells change and die over time, or how they are affected by different genes and diseases. In the past 15 years, he's had about 100 scientific papers published on stem-cell related subjects.
Controversial in U.S.The use of embryonic stem cells for research is controversial because they are taken from early-stage embryos, a cluster of 100 to 200 cells formed just days after fertilization. Some people believe that the embryos are human life that should be protected.
In light of those concerns, President Bush signed an order in August 2001 limiting federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research to existing stem-cell lines. Scientists at first were relieved by Bush's decision because it did not ban all embryonic stem-cell research. But, Rao said, the policy's damaging effects quickly became evident.
Rao explained a few of the ways the policy has frustrated government-funded scientists:
Scientists inside the National Institutes of Health, which includes the National Institute on Aging, are typically the most well-funded globally and therefore expected to be leading discoveries in their fields. However, NIH scientists are limited to working on embryonic stem cells created before 9 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2001, and many of those turned out not to be viable.
Scientists working without federal funding can work on newer embryonic stem cells, he said. But in the U.S., most of the funding for medical research comes from the NIH. The newer stem cells cannot be run through the expensive and fast, high-volume testing machines owned by the federal government, Rao said.
And information gathered on the newer lines cannot be stored in NIH databases to benefit scientists globally. Foreign governments looking to capitalize on the U.S. restrictions have been funnelling millions of dollars to embryonic stem-cell research.
As a result, there is not a lot of work being done in the U.S. on the newer lines, Rao said.
“The federal policy has a pernicious effect that people haven't considered,” Rao said.
Smack in the middle of a national controversy is not where Rao envisioned himself when considering careers.
His dream of becoming an air force pilot in his native India was nixed by poor eyesight. Instead, Rao earned a medical degree from the University of Bombay.
During a residency in neurology, Rao became frustrated that there were very few treatments for his patients. He decided to go into basic research to help find new therapies.
He moved Southern California to earn his Ph.D. in neurobiology at Caltech in Pasadena. He then went to Cleveland for post-doctoral work at Case Western Reserve University.
In 1994, he was being recruited by the University of Utah and several private companies. Rao chose Utah to benefit from the “great vision” of neurobiologist Tom Parks. For his part, Parks enjoyed Rao's analytical mind. “Mahendra is one of the most capable scientists I ever worked with,” he said.
Rao became a favorite of both students and faculty because he would provide a hard-hitting critique of someone's work, while always being kind and supportive.
He's also the type of scientist needed in stem cell research, Park said.
“He's a realist, not a starry-eyed optimist about stem cells. He's a long-haul guy who realizes it's going to take a lot of hard work to make stem cells into therapies.”
Rao stayed in Utah for what he described as seven happy and productive years during which he was successful at obtaining grant money. But he found the grant writing process long and hard.
Avoiding grant requestsWhen the NIH began recruiting him, it offered substantially more funding without having to write grants, and an impressive network of collaborators and equipment, Parks said.
It was 2000. That year, the Clinton administration opened the door to federal funding of stem cell research. As a condition of joining the NIH, Rao was told he could work on embryonic stem cells. He moved his family – his wife and two sons – to a Baltimore suburb, so he could work for the government. He would take a pay cut with the NIH, but it was an exciting time and he was eager to move science forward.
Then George Bush was elected president.
The new administration put the research on hold until Bush's staff could gather scientific and ethical information.
“It became evident that things were not going to be the same,” Rao said.
On Aug. 9, 2001, Bush announced the new policy in a televised address.
But, Rao said, the administration never gave the NIH any guidance on how to interpret the policy.
At that time, there were only 20 to 25 stem cell lines that were available to U.S. researchers. Subsequently only 10 of those lines were being shipped to labs, he said.
“On one hand we had the mandate to enhance research . . . but we couldn't do any key experiments.”
When he made the decision to leave the NIH, Rao thought he would return to academia. But the federal policy and broad patents on embryonic stem cells in the United States meant he would have to move abroad to find the freedom he wanted.
He did not want to disrupt his family's life. And he realized that private industry, especially companies with labs outside the purview of U.S. patent restrictions, was driving the embryonic stem-cell research forward.
He was approached by Invitrogen, which has labs around the globe. Invitrogen sells about 1,200 products that can be used by embryonic stem-cell researchers, including media in which cells live and grow in a petri dish.
With offices in leading stem-cell research countries such as Japan, India and Australia, Rao saw unencumbered opportunity.
“When you're beginning to put together a program, you need the expertise of someone like Mahendra to lead you in what is fundamentally the right way,” said Greg Geissman, an Invitrogen spokesman.
Rao's expertise allows him to keep the company informed of the direction the science is moving. He is leading Invitrogen's effort to set up working research programs that can lead to product spin-offs.
Since the company has offices on the East coast, the job allows Mahendra's wife and two teenage sons to stay put at their home and schools outside Towson, Maryland. Rao is commuting to Carlsbad about twice a month. And he continues to fly around the world as a consultant: the European Stem Cell Commission flew him to Venice for an advisory meeting and Singapore sought his advice.
Active collaborationInvitrogen has made it clear that it values interaction with the community and collaboration, Rao said. While the company may not be selling a lot of products in the short run, it is positioning itself as an active member of the stem-cell research community, he said.
“In the last six months I've got a lot more done that I could have gotten done at the NIH,” he said.
Colleagues applaud Rao's move.
“Mahendra is one of the courageous ones,” Loring said. “He does what he says he is going to do, and he doesn't compromise.”
But she wondered how her colleague would handle the culture change. In academia, the bottom line is good science, she said, in private industry, the bottom line is revenue.
Rao considered this.
“I saw the NIH as I place where I might have the ability to make a difference worldwide,” Rao said.
At Invitrogen, they realized that there is a need for the right tools worldwide and no one has stepped in to fill that need.
“So even though I'm working for Invitrogen, a profit-making company, they want to push the science forward. So I'm still helping the whole field.”

Terri Somers: (619) 293-2028; [log in to unmask]
Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/biotech/20060613-9999-1b13rao.html

-- rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Bush Anti-Stem Cell Policies Driving Corporate Takeover of Medical Research
How the NIH's decision to abandon embryonic stem cell research drove its
leading stem-cell scientist, Mahendra Rao, to leave public service and join
Invitrogen Corp. to pursue the commercialization of technology that is about
to revolutionize medicine. It looks as though they now own the cure to
Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.

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