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In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Minority Leader
Harry Reid, Govs. Blagojevich, Corzine of New Jersey, Doyle of
Wisconsin, Granholm of Michigan, Kulongoski of Oregon, Minner of
Delaware, Richardson of New Mexico and Vilsack of Iowa wrote: "Stem
cell research holds the potential to cure some of humanity's oldest
and deadliest diseases -- from Parkinson's to Alzheimer's to
multiple sclerosis and cancer. President Bush's restrictions have
delayed that research for far too long. The Senate has a vital
opportunity this week to do the right thing so the science can go
forward. That opportunity must not be squandered. "Every day,
thousands of families in our states struggle as a loved one suffers
from juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injuries and other conditions
that might be cured if the president's restrictions are lifted. For
nearly five years, these families have been forced to wait as the
Bush policy has obstructed this vital research. It would be
unconscionable to make them wait any longer."
[Complete letter]
[To download Adobe Acrobat Reader for the PDF
file, click here.]
On Aug. 9, 2001, President Bush announced he would ban all
federal funding for research done on stem cell lines derived after
that date.
House Resolution 810 would lift the current barriers on stem
cell research by expanding scientists' access to new, healthy
uncontaminated stem cell lines that are off-limits to federally
funded research under the current restrictions. In addition, this
legislation would impose new ethical guidelines, stricter than those
currently in place. The legislation was passed by the U.S. House of
Representatives last year with bipartisan support.
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 Last summer, by executive order, Blagojevich and Comptroller Dan
Hynes created the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute, making
Illinois the first state in the Midwest, and only the fourth state
in the nation, to commit public funds to stem cell research. The
program is designed to issue grants for stem cell research to study
therapies, protocols, medical procedures, possible cures for and
potential mitigations of major diseases, injuries and orphan
diseases; to support all stages of the process of developing cures,
from laboratory research through successful clinical trials; and to
establish the appropriate regulatory standards for research and
facilities development.
In April, the governor, Hynes and the Illinois Department of
Public Health announced 10 grants worth a total of $10 million
through the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute for the
lifesaving work of stem cell research at several Illinois hospitals
and research institutions.
Researching and studying stem cells allows scientists and doctors
to better understand what causes serious medical illnesses and
conditions such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, spinal cord injury, stroke
and heart disease, in hopes of discovering new ways to treat or even
cure them. Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop
into many different types of healthy new cells in the body. As
described by the National Institutes of Health, they act like an
internal repair system for the body. Stem cells can divide to
replenish other cells for as long as the body is alive. When a stem
cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a
stem cell or become another type of cell, like a muscle cell, a red
blood cell or a brain cell.
Studying stem cells allows doctors to analyze how cells transform
into other cells. Many of the most serious illnesses or birth
defects are caused by problems during the transformation process.
Understanding the process better may help doctors discover how to
prevent, treat or cure illnesses and conditions.
[News release from the governor's
office] |
