Both Houses of Congress Urge President Bush to Expand Stem Cell Policy; Majority of Senators Send Letter to President Today

6/7/2004

From: Julie Kimbrough of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research, 212-585-3501 or 646-734-6091

WASHINGTON, June 7 -- Following the compelling bi-partisan letter from over 200 members of the House of Representatives sent to President Bush on April 28th, today a bi- partisan coalition of 58 Senators also called on the President to revise the current federal stem cell policy. The Senate letter, which included signatures from many conservatives, urged the Administration to modify the current policy, which restricts federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) commended this unprecedented effort to support life-saving medical research. CAMR, comprised of 80 nationally recognized patient groups, universities, and scientific societies, led the charge to support U.S. federal funding of embryonic stem cell research and has led the efforts opposing a U.S. ban on therapeutic cloning.

The letter was sent to the White House by Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who led the signature gathering effort among their colleagues. The Senate letter comes on the heels of an important speech by former First Lady Nancy Reagan who voiced her strong support for the research. In addition, a recent letter to Members of Congress from the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Elias Zerhouni, noted that more stem cell lines may speed human embryonic stem cell research.

"Given the commitment from Members of Congress from both parties, and recent scientific breakthroughs, we are hopeful that the President will take another look at the current policy," said Sean Tipton, Vice President of CAMR. "While the Administration and the NIH have made good faith efforts to advance the research, the policy just isn't working. Patients with life-threatening diseases and conditions are running out of time, and researchers are running out of patience -- we have to act now," Tipton added.

The President first announced his position in a televised address to the nation on August 9th, 2001. Under the Administration's current rules, federal funds can only be used for research on embryonic stem cell cultures created prior to August 9, 2001, when the President announced his policy. In addition to the few cell lines available, those lines that qualify for federal funding are not genetically or racially diverse enough to meet research needs. Also, developing future therapies with the current stem cell lines may prove impossible since cell lines cultivated in the past were exposed to mouse "feeder" cells, and may not be acceptable under federal regulations on biological materials drawn from more than one species. Researchers are also hesitant to use these lines for patient therapies when newer, non- contaminated stem cell colonies are being developed beyond the reach of the Administration's policy by private organizations and in other countries.

The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR), is comprised of nationally-recognized patient organizations, universities, scientific societies, foundations, and individuals with life-threatening illnesses and disorders, advocating for the advancement of breakthrough research and technologies in regenerative medicine -- including stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer -- in order to cure disease and alleviate suffering. For more information on CAMR, visit the website: http://www.camradvocacy.org