title: Stem cell hype: media portrayal of therapy translation.
abstract: In this Perspective, we examine the portrayal of translational stem cell research in major daily newspapers in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom between 2010 and 2013, focusing on how timelines for stem cell therapies were represented before and after Geron terminated its pioneering stem cell program. Our content analysis reveals that press coverage has shifted from ethical, legal, and social issues to clinical translation issues, and highly optimistic timelines were provided with no substantial change in representation over time. Scientists were the dominant voice with respect to translation timelines. The findings raise questions about the degree to which the media's overly optimistic slant fosters unrealistic expectations regarding the speed of clinical translation and highlight the ethical responsibility of stem cell researchers as public communicators.
authors.affiliation: Health Law Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H5, Canada.
authors.forename: Kalina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamenova
authors.affiliation: Health Law Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H5, Canada. Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, Professor, Faculty of Law and School of Public Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H5, Canada. caulfield@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caulfield
mesh_terms: D003146:Communications Media; D005544:Forecasting; D000066449:Human Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D009524:Newspapers as Topic; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical