'Not taken in by media hype': how potential donors, recipients and members of the general public perceive stem cell research

Comparison of Patient and Expert Perceptions of the Attainment of Research Milestones in Parkinson's Disease

Background

Commentators suggest that patients have unrealistic expectations about the pace of research advances and that such expectations interfere with patient decision‐making.

Objective

The objective of this study was to compare expert expectations about the timing of research milestone attainment with those of patients who follow Parkinson's disease (PD) research.

Methods

Patients with PD and experts were asked to provide forecasts about 11 milestones in PD research in an online survey. PD experts were identified from a Michael J. Fox Foundation database, highly ranked neurology centers in the United States and Canada, and corresponding authors of articles on PD in top medical journals. Patients with PD were recruited through the Michael J. Fox Foundation. We tested whether patient forecasts differed on average from expert forecasts. We also tested whether differences between patient forecasts and the average expert forecasts were associated with any demographic factors.

Results

A total of 256 patients and 249 PD experts completed the survey. For 9 of the 11 milestones, patients' forecasts were on average higher than those of experts. Only exercise therapy met our 10% difference threshold for practical significance. Education was the only demographic that predicted patient deviations from expert forecasts on milestone forecasts. Patients offered significantly higher forecasts than experts that the clinical trials used in milestone queries would report positive primary outcomes.

Conclusions

Differences between patient and expert expectations about research milestones were generally minor, suggesting that there is little cause for concern that patients who follow PD research are unduly swayed by inaccurate representations of research advancement in the media or elsewhere. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Can hype be a force for good?: Inviting unexpected engagement with science and technology futures

Hype, or simplified and sensationalised science, appears to be inescapable in science communication with examples extending from viral social media accounts and 'breakthrough'-themed press releases, to the mediated claims of the celebrity scientist. In science communication, the negative effects of hype are familiar. The question is whether hype is always a distortion and a lie, or can it be redeemed? This essay reviews the contribution of hype to science, specifically in terms of encouraging reflexivity for science and technology. I present three perspectives on hype and invite further conversation on the role of hype in science communication.

Stem cell research: the role of information seeking and scanning

BACKGROUND

The mass media have held an ongoing debate about stem cell research. However, few studies have investigated how individuals obtain information on stem cell research and whether this affects their knowledge and perspectives on stem cell research.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate whether (i) cancer-diagnosed and non-diagnosed individuals differ in terms of their acquisition of stem cell research information, (ii) whether this information acquisition is associated with stem cell research knowledge and perspectives and (iii) whether having had a cancer diagnosis moderates these associations.

METHOD

A standardised, cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 621 cancer-diagnosed and 1387 non-diagnosed individuals in Flanders (Belgium).

RESULTS

The results indicate that stem cell research information acquisition explains a significant part of the variance of stem cell research knowledge (8.9%) and of the societal benefits of stem cell research (6.7%) and of embryonic stem cell research evaluation (3.9%) and morality (2%). These associations did not differ between cancer-diagnosed and non-diagnosed individuals but cancer-diagnosed individuals did seek more stem cell research information.

CONCLUSION

Acquiring stem cell research information, both intentionally and unintentionally, is positively related to stem cell research knowledge and perspectives. Future research should further identify ways to promote health information acquisition behaviour because it is associated with better knowledge and more positive opinion formation.

When 'sperm' becomes 'donor': transitions in parents' views of the sperm donor

Abstract Little is known about recipients' views of their sperm donor. This study aimed to examine the possible transitions or consistencies in donor sperm recipients' (DSRs') view on the sperm donor over time. A longitudinal qualitative study of 19 Belgian heterosexual DSRs was undertaken. Interviews took place with both partners of the couple during pregnancy, at birth and 1.5-2 years after birth, and were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Recipients who intended to disclose exhibited a transition in their awareness of the donor from being of minimal importance to one who was increasingly seen as part of their family narrative. This was partly triggered by the offspring's life, remarks about resemblance and the socio-cultural context. The perceived position of the donor changed for most recipients from a threatening rival to a 'distractor'. This change was supported by the emerging father-child bond and the confidence that stemmed from it. These observations were applicable to those recipients who intended to disclose their donor conception; for those recipients who intended not to disclose, little or no transition was observed. This study describes and analyses the transitions and consistencies in recipients' views of the donor over different stages of the family life-cycle (pregnancy, birth, toddler stage) and could help the fertility clinics tailor their counselling to the specific stages of parenthood.

'Of course he's our child': transitions in social parenthood in donor sperm recipient families

This study examines transitions and consistencies in the views of donor sperm recipients on ‘parenthood’ and ‘family’ over time. A longitudinal qualitative study was carried out with 19 donor sperm recipients. Interviews took place during pregnancy, at birth and 1.5–2 years after birth and were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Participants intending to disclose the donor conception to their offspring (13/19) exhibited a transition from feeling anxious prior to birth to feeling more confident during the toddler stage about their parenthood. Previous anxieties about the lack of biological ties decreased as emerging social ties became more significant. Following birth, these participants (13/19) felt acknowledged by others as parents, which elicited feelings of normalization. Being able to engage in parenting and develop parental relations enhanced their confidence in their parental position. This confidence empowered donor sperm recipients to tackle future challenges and made them more convinced about their disclosure intention. Participants intending not to disclose the donor conception (6/19) reported viewing their parenthood as no different from parenthood experienced by naturally conceiving parents, no transitions were observed and insecurity about physical traits that could reveal the donor conception remained. These findings have implications for counselling throughout specific stages in parenthood.

Hype and public trust in science

Social scientists have begun elucidating the variables that influence public trust in science, yet little is known about hype in biotechnology and its effects on public trust. Many scholars claim that hyping biotechnology results in a loss of public trust, and possibly public enthusiasm or support for science, because public expectations of the biotechnological promises will be unmet. We argue for the need for empirical research that examines the relationships between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support. We discuss the complexities in designing empirical studies that provide evidence for a causal link between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support, but also illustrate how this may be remedied. Further empirical research on hype and public trust is needed in order to improve public communication of science and to design evidence-based education on the responsible conduct of research for scientists. We conclude that conceptual arguments made on hype and public trust must be nuanced to reflect our current understanding of this relationship.

Hype and public trust in science

Social scientists have begun elucidating the variables that influence public trust in science, yet little is known about hype in biotechnology and its effects on public trust. Many scholars claim that hyping biotechnology results in a loss of public trust, and possibly public enthusiasm or support for science, because public expectations of the biotechnological promises will be unmet. We argue for the need for empirical research that examines the relationships between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support. We discuss the complexities in designing empirical studies that provide evidence for a causal link between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support, but also illustrate how this may be remedied. Further empirical research on hype and public trust is needed in order to improve public communication of science and to design evidence-based education on the responsible conduct of research for scientists. We conclude that conceptual arguments made on hype and public trust must be nuanced to reflect our current understanding of this relationship.

Trends in embryo disposition decisions: patients' responses to a 15-year mailing program

BACKGROUND

This study examined the responses of patients of a Belgian fertility center to mailed requests to make or renew an embryo disposition decision (EDD), over a period of 15 years, to investigate trends in the decisions.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on a mailing program from 1992 to 2006, for patients, of the Department of Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital (Belgium), from whom embryos had been cryopreserved at least 2 years.

RESULTS

In 15 years, 3840 EDD forms were prepared for 2334 couples or female patients. The number of forms increased from 21 in 1992 to 558 in 2006. Each year, around a third of the forms were not returned. In general, a quarter of patients who received more than one form never answered. Donation to others for reproduction was overall the least popular option and decreased over the years. The rising trend in decisions to discard reversed into a negative trend from the introduction of donation for science (1997). Since then, donation for science has been the most popular option and its popularity increased with time. In 15 years, 2504 embryos were donated for science. More than a quarter of the patients who chose more than one final EDD in different years did not select the same EDD the second time.

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed a positive trend in donation for science and a negative trend in donation to others and discarding. A substantial number of individual patients chose different types of EDDs in consecutive mailings, which shows that advance EDD directives should be used with caution.

Beyond the 'embryo question': human embryonic stem cell ethics in the context of biomaterial donation in the UK

Discussion about the ethics of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research in the UK tends to be dominated by the divisive and potentially intractable issue of the moral status of the embryo. This can have the effect of silencing or marginalizing other concerns, especially in the context of public engagement with science in this field. One such area of potential public concern is the donation of oocytes and embryos to stem cell research. Contemporary research on the views of donors and potential donors about a wide range of biomaterials, from solid organs to gametes and bone marrow, is reviewed and used to illustrate the range and types of ethical concerns articulated by this important group of stakeholders. Attitudes to donation are found to vary according to the type of tissue being donated or collected, the purpose for which donation is being sought and the nature of the recipient of the donation. Pertinently, attitudes towards donating oocytes are found to differ in some respects from donation of embryos or fetal tissue. The implications of these findings for ensuring ethically robust informed consent and publicly acceptable sourcing of human biomaterials for stem cell research are then considered.

Stem cell research and economic promises

In the context of stem cell research, the promise of economic growth has become a common policy argument for adoption of permissive policies and increased government funding. However, declarations of economic and commercial benefit, which can be found in policy reports, the scientific literature, public funding policies, and the popular press, have arguably created a great deal of expectation. Can stem cell research deliver on the economic promise? And what are the implications of this economic ethos for the researchers who must work under its shadow?