The Ongoing Transformation

Alta Charo Considers Ethics for Stem Cells and CRISPR

Feb 13, 2024

Explore the impact of Alta Charo shaping science policy on stem cells, CRISPR, and more. Learn about science policy's real-life impact, her experience at the science policy table, and how science policy can inspire techno optimism. Delve into ethical debates, HIV prevention research, challenges in biotechnology, and the importance of public involvement in scientific discussions.

33:32

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Alta Charo

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Quick takeaways

Alta Charo's role in shaping stem cell policy was inspired by personal experiences and contributed to stabilizing scientific fields and federal funding rules.

Charo's ethical oversight in HIV research emphasized the importance of balancing risks and benefits, ensuring integrity and positive impact in sensitive research areas.

Deep dives

Alta Charo's Background and Role in Science Policy

Alta Charo, a prominent figure in science policy, brings her legal and bioethics expertise to shaping policy on cutting-edge technologies like stem cells, CRISPR, and chimeras. She has served on various advisory boards, including President Obama's Transition Team, with a focus on bioethics, stem cell policy, and reproductive health. Charo's extensive experience includes co-chairing committees for establishing guidelines in areas like embryonic stem cells, contributing to stabilizing scientific fields and shaping federal funding rules.

Introduction

2min

Exploring Science Policy and Personal Connection to Stem Cell Research

11min

Navigating Advisory Roles in Policy Making and Academic Freedom

4min

Navigating Controversies in Biotechnology and Public Involvement

12min

Exploring Science Policy and Equity in Innovation

5min

A lawyer and bioethicist by training, Alta Charo has decades of experience in helping to formulate and inform science policy on new and emerging technologies, including stem cells, cloning, CRISPR, and chimeras. The Warren P. Knowles Professor Emerita of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she served on President Clinton’s National Bioethics Advisory Commission, was a member of President Obama’s transition team, was an advisor for the Food and Drug Administration, and served on more than a dozen study committees for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

In the fourth episode of our Science Policy IRL series, Alta joins Issues contributing editor Molly Galvin to explore how science policy can and does impact people’s lives in real and profound ways. She also describes what it’s like to be one of the only non-scientists at the science policy table, how helping a close friend who died of ALS continues to inspire her work, and why science policy can help us become techno optimists.

Is there something about science policy you’d like us to explore? Let us know by emailing us at podcast@issues.org, or by tagging us on social media with the hashtag #SciencePolicyIRL.

Resources:

National Academies Collection on Stem Cell Research

Institute of Medicine. 2005. Review of the HIVNET 012 Perinatal HIV Prevention Study

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and National Academy of Medicine. 2023. Toward Equitable Innovation in Health and Medicine: A Framework

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2017. Human Genome Editing: Science, Ethics, and Governance

The Issues Interview: Alta Charo

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