[MARCH 21, 2006]
CHICAGO -- Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich was joined
Monday by Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes for a tour of
Children's Memorial Research Center's state-of-the-art stem cell
research facility, where president and scientific director Mary J.C.
Hendrix, Ph.D., and investigators are doing cancer research on
federally approved embryonic stem cell lines. The state leaders also
met six scientists from around the country, including Columbia
University Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine,
who are visiting Dr. Hendrix's lab to be trained through a National
Cancer Institute grant in tumor stem cell technology. The three
statewide officials, along with Secretary of State Jesse White and
Attorney General Lisa Madigan, are pushing for passage of the
governor's proposal to provide $100 million in state grants for stem
cell research over the next five years.
"Stem cell research, like
the work being done right here at Children's Memorial, has shown
some of the most promising potential in scientists' efforts to
develop effective treatments and cures for devastating diseases --
from Parkinson's to diabetes, and even cancer," Blagojevich said. "I
am proud to work with other state leaders like Lieutenant Governor
Quinn, Secretary of State White, Comptroller Hynes and Attorney
General Madigan to support this research in Illinois. Investing in
research that can save lives and prevent serious illnesses is more
than a sound public health strategy, it's our moral obligation."
Last summer, Blagojevich and Hynes made Illinois the first state
in the Midwest, and only the fourth state in the nation, to commit
public funds to the lifesaving work of stem cell research. The
governor signed an executive order directing the Illinois Department
of Public Health to create a program that will award $10 million in
grants to medical research facilities for the development of
treatments and cures.
As part of his budget plan for next fiscal year, Blagojevich
proposed providing $100 million in grants over the next five years
to continue the research. On Friday, Blagojevich, Quinn, Attorney
General Madigan, White and Hynes sent a letter to the four
legislative leaders urging them to support the funding proposal for
stem cell research.
"The proposed stem cell research funding would allow Illinois to
rise to the position of national leadership in research and to
continue to attract world-renowned researchers and physicians," said
Mary J.C. Hendrix, Ph.D., president and scientific director of
Children's Memorial Research Center. "At perhaps no other time in
history has the scientific community been better positioned to
advance the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease. We have
an obligation to promote the best medical science for all Illinois
citizens who will reap the benefits of our scientific expertise."
"This proposal deserves support for many reasons," Hynes said.
"It utilizes tobacco company dollars, not taxpayer dollars. It
cements Illinois' position as the Midwest center of stem cell
research, which will result in huge new investment in the state.
And, most importantly, it will lead to the development of
revolutionary treatments for diseases that affect the families of
each and every American."
"Investing in stem cell research in Illinois has the potential of
saving thousands of lives now and in the future," said Quinn.
"I commend Governor Blagojevich for recognizing the value of stem
cell research and committing state support to fund work that has the
potential to both save lives and significantly improve the quality
of life for people with chronic diseases," White added.
"Stem cell research is critical in finding cures to diseases that
have taken too many lives already," said Madigan, the attorney
general. "I am pleased that Illinois is poised to become a leader in
the fight against these illnesses."
The governor's executive order
creating the Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute dictated that
the program will provide funding for stem cell research that
involves adult, cord blood and embryonic stem cells. Medical and
scientific accountability standards and rules will generally be
consistent with those issued by the National Academies of Sciences
and the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Public
Health will issue an annual report that details the operation of the
Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute.
The executive order also mandated that no funding will be
authorized for research involving human cloning, nor will funding be
awarded to anyone who purchases or sells embryonic or fetal tissue
for research purposes, and time limits will be set for extracting
cells from blastocysts.
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 try to analyze how cells
transform into other cells. Many of the most serious illnesses or
birth defects are caused by problems in this process. So,
understanding the process better may help doctors discover how to
prevent, treat or cure illnesses and conditions. Stem cells could
also offer the possibility of making replacement cells and tissues
to treat various diseases and conditions, including Alzheimer's,
spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes,
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. A better understanding of
the process may help doctors discover how to prevent, treat or cure
illnesses.
Children's Memorial Research Center is one of a few research
institutions in the country devoted solely to children. Its
investigators are faculty members at Northwestern University
Feinberg School of Medicine.
Work at the research center is organized around seven
interdisciplinary research programs: Cancer Biology and Epigenomics,
the Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Research Program,
Developmental Biology, Experimental Therapeutics, Human Molecular
Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Pathobiology, and Neurobiology.
