The US Food and Drug Administration suffers from "serious scientific deficiencies," potentially compromising the agency's ability to protect the health and safety of consumers, a report by the FDA's science board has concluded. The agency has had the most trouble regulating areas such as systems biology, nanotechnology, and regenerative medicine.

The report, commissioned by the FDA's commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach and released last week, states in bold font: "The FDA cannot fulfill its mission because its scientific base has eroded and its scientific organizational structure is weak." The cause, according to the report, is a lack of financial support, inadequate information technology, and too few staff members.

The New York Times today got no more comment from the FDA than that the agency "values the evaluation." To solve the "crisis" at the FDA, the board recommends better infrastructure for sharing data, more external collaborations, better staff recruitment, and, of course, more funding. The FDA is holding a public science board advisory committee meeting today (December 3) at the Office of the Commissioner in Rockville, MD.