NEW YORK Developments in medical research are page-one news: the Bush Administration is evaluating whether to fund embryonic stem cell research; Congress is considering limits on human cloning; an artificial, self-contained heart has just been successfully implanted in a human for the first time; and activists won a major victory in helping South African AIDS patients gain access to cheaper, generic medicines.

To provide context to these developments, the nonpartisan, nonprofit Public Agenda and the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundationbest known for its prestigious medical research awardshave launched a comprehensive online guide to issues in medical research, accessible at www.publicagenda.org and also www.laskerfoundation.org.

Unbiased Information

The decisions being made about how much to invest in medical research, where the dollars should go, and what kinds of research will be pursued will quite literally affect the lives of millions of Americans, says Jean Johnson, director of programs, Public Agenda.

Public Agenda Online's guide expands its roster of policy and public opinion briefs for analysts, elected officials, journalists, students and the general public. It provides balanced data, survey results, extensive resource lists, and news at the heart of debate over funding, genetic testing and engineering, bioethics, informed consent and related topics.

This exciting collaboration with Public Agenda addresses the Lasker Foundation's goal of stimulating public interest and knowledge of the enormous benefits of basic and clinical medical research, including the issues raised by fast-evolving discoveries and developments, says Neen Hunt, president, the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. Facts, opinions, contextall are key elements for heightening public understanding and informing debate about these essential matters.

Data on Hot-Button Issues

Public Agenda Online's guide to medical research offers a unique one-stop array of up-to-date, reliable and unbiased information on critical policy choices Americans face today. Data is found in useful categories:

• Fact File. Full of background information, including: a colorful graph that illustrates the government's comparative spending priorities on medical research, defense and Social Security; a timeline that highlights medical breakthroughs over the last century; and a chart that describes Food and Drug Administration guidelines for testing the effectiveness of new drugs in humans.
• Public Opinion. A synthesis of survey data from leading organizations such as the Pew Center for People and the Press and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Some data show that Americans believe medical research is beneficial but lack knowledge about important issues surrounding the research.
• Notable and Newsworthy. Digests the latest news stories from the Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times and other media on areas from funding to intellectual property, infertility to organ donation.
• Sources and Resources. An extensive and detailed list with select links to various organizations, including: the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Medical Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Office of Research Integrity and The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
• Framing the Debate. Features discussion frameworks that help people think through the pros and cons of two key questions: how should tax dollars for medical research and health care be allocated and what constraints, if any, should there be on genetic medical research?

Praised as fabulously thorough by Forbes.com, and respected for presenting issues fairly and with clarity, Public Agenda Online (www.publicagenda.org) also features 19 other regularly updated, in-depth issue guides on topics from abortion to campaign finance reform, child care, education, health care and Social Security. In addition, the site provides information on Public Agenda surveys and other research publications.

Visitors can sign up to receive a weekly e-mail alert of relevant policy news and new publication announcements from Public Agenda, and they can also sign up to receive a copy of The Public Agenda newsletter, the inside source for public opinion and policy analysis, produced three times a year.

Public Agenda, a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization, located in New York City, is well respected for its trustworthy public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.

The Mary Woodard Lasker Charitable Trust supports the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation, which annually presents one of the world's most prestigious honors in science-the Albert Lasker Awards for Basic and Clinical Medical Research, and the Mary Woodard Lasker Award for Public Service in Support of Medical Research and the Health Sciences.

The Lasker Trust also initiated and supports Funding First, a project to broaden public understanding of the enormous social and economic value of medical research, and to build a strong commitment from both the public and private sectors to sustaining and expanding investment in it.

For more information about Public Agenda Online, please call Public Agenda at 212-686-6610, fax 212-889-3461, or e-mail info@publicagenda.org. Media only please contact Michael Darden at 212-686-6610, ext. 40, or e-mail mdarden@publicagenda.org.