MISUSE OF SCIENCE ABOUNDS.(human cloning debate)

In the public debate on human cloning, March came in like a lion--featuring what many would consider lyin' by proponents. False and misleading claims characterized congressional testimony as well as commentary made about new articles in prestigious journals.

The onslaught began with a March 5 Senate hearing. Actor Christopher Reeve, rendered quadriplegic by a riding accident, cited examples of beneficial research that he claimed would be blocked by a ban on the cloning of human embryos for stem cell research. He also spoke dismissively of progress toward treatment of spinal cord injury using non-embryonic cells.

But in fact, the promising research Reeve cited had nothing to do with cloning. Worse yet (for those who believe in accuracy), the most promising example he cited of a new spinal cord injury treatment uses adult cells from patients' own bodies!

Reeve further declared that treatment of his condition will require "remyelination" of his nerve cells (rebuilding the protective sheath that usually coats functioning neural fibers). Reeve insisted that only embryonic stem cells can provide this.

But as the founder of an organization that funds spinal cord injury research, Reeve should be aware that this last claim is demonstrably false. Studies done at Yale and the University of Wisconsin -- not to mention studies from France, England, and Japan -- have shown great progress in achieving remyelination by other means, usually using adult stem cells.

Finally, Reeve said that all scientists agree there is "no hope" for a cure for ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) without embryonic stem cells and cloning. But the existence of such an alleged scientific consensus would surely be a surprise to the national ALS Association. The group just announced $1 million in funding for 11 new projects in ALS research, none of which uses embryonic cells.

Reeve's testimony was followed by another media campaign on March 8 when the results of an allegedly groundbreaking study were given advance release on the web site of the journal Cell. Newswire services such as the Associated Press uncritically announced that scientists had "demonstrated" the benefits of "therapeutic cloning" by partially correcting a genetically based immune system defect in mice.