Home
About this Panel
Biography of Presenters
Comment on this Program
Video Preferences
View Next Video
A Profoundly Important Endeavor
10:43
President Lawrence H. Summers
Enormous Implications
3:16
Provost Steven E. Hyman, M.D.
A Great Need
7:26
David T. Scadden, M.D.
A Singular Goal
12:03
Professor Douglas A. Melton
Audience Question and Answer
21:39
Audience & Panel
President Lawrence H. Summers
<div class="segmentText" align="left"> The establishment of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute is a special event. Here are several reasons why this new endeavor is so profoundly important: First, let us take the long view and ask, 'What's going to happen during the next quarter century that's going to be in history books two hundred years from now?' I'm convinced that the revolution now underway in the sciences, and particularly in the life sciences, which are for the first time giving us a deep understanding of the basis of life processes and the capacity to mount scientifically targeted attacks on disease, is one of the things for which our era will be remembered. This effort should be central for a university like ours. This is why the life sciences are such a priority for Harvard.<br> <br> </div> <div class="segmentText" align="left"> The second reason why this research is so profoundly important is that in modern intellectual life, the quality of the ideas, of research, of the things that can be done, are no longer constrained by particular disciplines or particular schools. This research on stem cells is not the work of one person, one department, or one school. The collaboration between these leaders–a distinguished biologist who has spent his career in FAS and a distinguished physician and scientist who has spent his career in our medical area and in our hospitals—speaks to the power of this collaboration. So does the set of people they have assembled at the University to think not just about the underlying science but also about the profound ethical implications of stem cell research.<br> <br> </div> <div class="segmentText" align="left"> A third reason why an effort of this kind is so profoundly important is that Harvard has always been a worldly university. Our professional schools, working at the highest levels of scholarship, have been connected to the challenge of making the world a better place. This research has the opportunity, in a very direct way, to make the world a much better place. It is important for the patients who will ultimately benefit and for leadership in the biological sciences. This endeavor is also important because we have a challenge in our country: We have a set of policies in place that will not permit stem cell research to be carried on, and its benefits realized, through the traditional channels of public support and the National Institutes of Health. Given these policies, if this research is going to be carried on, there is no alternative to very strong and decisive efforts from institutions like Harvard.<br> <br> </div> <div class="segmentText" align="left"> And there's a final reason why this research is very important. Over time, such research means longer, happier, and more comfortable and secure lives for literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. And there can't be anything more important than that. From my personal experience, I have the most profound appreciation for the importance of biomedical research and the contribution it can make to our society. This work is intellectually, economically, and morally important, and above all, this is important for millions of children in this country and around the world. So I am very glad that Harvard is able, and has the capacity, to lead in this area, and I'm very grateful to Dr. David Scadden and Professor Douglas Melton.<br> <br> </div>
© Copyright 2006 President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.
