Stem cell rumble on the prairie

William Neaves could be forgiven for feeling popular last month. Within little over a week, the president and CEO of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri, received two fawning letters from two governors."We encourage you to explore the possibility of moving to Illinois and leveraging our great research institutions, where many of your colleagues have found the freedom to explore the promise of stem cell research and its potential application for many of society's most debilitating diseases," Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and Comptroller Daniel Hynes wrote him on September 1. After all, the officials reminded Neaves, Missouri scientists are living in a state where legislators are considering a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and "have been forced to halt their recruiting and funding efforts for a second facility at the Stowers Institute as the issue is debated."Neaves' own governor, Matt Blunt, fired back on September 9, making it clear to Neaves – and the other 29 stem cell researchers in Missouri who received Blagojevich's letter – that he was fighting back: "It is my understanding that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich recently sent letters to a number of Missouri's top research scientists indicating that our state has a less than friendly environment for scientific discovery and that scientists should therefore consider relocating to the state of Illinois." The Governor's allegations, Blunt assured the scientists, are "unfounded," and he plans to ensure the state "not only fosters but also attracts" innovative research.Neaves says he was surprised by Blagojevich's letter, but expected Blunt's response, given that Blunt has offered "consistent support" of life sciences research and in September earned the Biotechnology Industry Organization's "Award for Leadership Excellence" for fostering bioscience in his state.And Blagojevich's attempts to disparage the state of science in Missouri didn't faze him, Neaves adds. Stowers has not halted funding or recruiting while the legislature debates banning SCNT, he says; the Institute has a $2 billion endowment, and plans to add an additional 600,000 square feet of research space every decade from now on. "This makes Stowers researchers highly resistant to invitations to move elsewhere," he says in an E-mail. (Geographical note: Kansas City is about 200 miles from the closest Illinois border.)So why did the battle over Missouri stem cell researchers become as heated as a White Sox/Cardinals World Series? (which indeed looked possible at press time) While Missouri continues to debate an SCNT ban, in July, Blagojevich issued an executive order creating the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute (IRMI), charged with awarding $10 million in public funds for stem cell research. Governor Blagojevich spokesperson Gerardo Cardenas says that since the IRMI was created under an executive order, it does not need further approval by legislators, and therefore cannot be way-laid by state officials who oppose embryonic stem cell research. He adds that the letter to Missouri researchers was intended to "open the state to research and scientists who are conducting stem cell research and, for whatever reason, are being prevented" from continuing it. Cardenas admits that the decision to relocate is a "difficult" one, and it may take more than a letter to convince Missouri researchers to move. "But if (stem cell research) is happening next door... we think it's an attractive idea," he says.Stowers has no plans to relocate, or change its focus, Neaves adds. "The Stowers Institute will continue to work with other medical organizations and patient groups to protect early stem cell research and cures in this state, and we encourage others who value the lifesaving work of Missouri's research community to do the same."

Stem cell rumble on the prairie

William Neaves could be forgiven for feeling popular last month.

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