On June 27, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies held a hearing on potential advances in stem cell research. The subcommittee also discussed a bill (S. 2754) to promote stem cell research from sources other than human embryos.
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) opened the hearing, saying the bill was “an opportunity for people with different philosophical views on the underlying issue [whether human embryonic stem cell research should receive federal funding] to come together.”
The sponsor of S. 2754, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), testified that the bill was introduced in response to a white paper,Alternative Sources of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells, drafted by the President’s Council on Bioethics. The paper outlined four possible methods for creating pluripotent stem cells (cells that can develop into any kind of tissue in the body). He called the report “a very good, solid step in the direction of scientific research,” and said that “this line of research needs to be pursued.”
Chair of the NIH Stem Cell Task Force, Dr. James Battey, provided the subcommittee with scientifically-detailed testimony on the methods proposed in the white paper. Dr. Battey said that it is “impossible at this time to know which sources of stem cells will be most useful,” and that “we need to pursue stem cells from a wide array of sources to ensure we don’t miss an opportunity to treat people ravaged by cellular degenerative diseases.” Such diseases include juvenile or Type I diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease), and spinal cord injuries.
Dr. Alan Leshner, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), said that the AAAS “believes the great clinical promise in stem cells makes it critically important to support research on a wide range of approaches toward deriving cells that have potential for replacing damaged or deteriorating parts of the body.”
Also testifying was Dr. Stephen Strom, a professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Strom detailed the success of an ongoing experimental therapy that uses amniotic cells, obtained following a live birth, in place of embryonic stem cells to treat liver disease.
