Spinal Times: The Amy Alexander Foundation for Spinal Cord Injuries

The North Platte Telegraph

The Nebraska Coalition for Ethical Research believes in stem cell research.

What is often misunderstood is that there are two types of stem cell research. Adult stem cell research has produced treatment and cures for 73 conditions, including several types of cancer and leukemia, autoimmune diseases such as sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and heart damage. The second type of stem cell research is embryonic, which harvests stem cells from a recently fertilized cluster of cells, usually within the first five days after fertilization, destroying the embryo.

On March 9, President Barack Obama announced he was ordering the National Institute of Health to revise the guidelines for federal funding to expand to include embryonic stem cell research. Those guidelines are expected to be published in the next few weeks. Immediately following the president's announcement, the University of Nebraska Medical Center announced they intended to pursue federal money for embryonic stem cell research.

The Coalition is urging the University of Nebraska Board of Regents to leave restrictions on embryonic stem cell research in place.

"We love stem cell research," said NCER executive director Chip Maxwell. "However, all breakthroughs in stem cell research are the result of research in non-embryonic stem cells."

There have been no clinical trials using embryonic stem cells in humans, Maxwell said.

"The FDA approved the first clinical trial in January of this year," Maxwell said. "Stem cell research was thriving before we started messing around with embryonic cells."

NCER president Dr. Sheryl Pitner joined Maxwell along with NCER deputy director Justin Nabity and advisory board member Charles Brockhouse, Ph.D., geneticist at Creighton University in North Platte Monday evening for a pro-life meeting. More than 70 people heard Maxwell outline NCER's opposition to embryonic stem cell research.

Regent Bob Phares told the crowd that while he is personally opposed to expanding research at UNMC for embryonic stem cell research, the board has a policy in place to follow federal guidelines.

"When the revised guidelines come out in early July, we will lay them next to the old ones and see where we are," Phares said.

Nebraska state law prohibits the use of embryonic stem cells for research in state facilities and the use of state funding for research.

"We are going to follow the law," Phares said.

The federal policy change will result in an increased demand for the destruction of human embryos Maxwell said, something that is unethical and unnecessary, given the positive results of adult stem cell research.

"We are a secular group," Maxwell said. "Our goal is to raise the Regents comfort level to the point where they do not allow the destruction of embryos at UNMC."

NCER's opposition to embryonic stem cell research is based in science, Maxwell said.

"Any genetic textbook will tell you that the moment fertilization is complete, the genetic code of that cell is complete," Maxwell said. "From that first cell to death, you are a human being."

Destruction of embryos is a matter of destroying one human to help another, he said.

"Embryonic stem cell research is high tech exploitation of the vulnerable by the strong," Maxwell said.

The perception that adult stem cell research is merely a poor substitute for embryonic stem cell research needs to be flipped, Maxwell said.

"We want to contain embryonic stem cell research right where it is," Maxwell said.

NCER is seeking signatures on a petition urging the Regents to keep the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research in place. The petition is available on line at the groups Web site, www.ethicalresearch.net. For those who do not have access to the Web site, call (402) 690-2299 to have a copy of the petition sent to you.

Vatican steps back on praise for Obama

VATICAN CITY -- The official Vatican newspaper emphatically denied that its friendly coverage of President Barack Obama reflects any tolerance of his support for legalized abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

"In reporting on some recent statements and initiatives of the president of the United States, L'Osservatore Romano certainly did not intend to express appreciation for his positions on ethical questions," said an unsigned article in the paper's Friday (June 5) edition.

"Obviously the Holy See and L'Osservatore Romano have been, are, and will be standing side by side with the bishops of the United States in their commitment to the inviolability of human life in whatever stage of its existence."

Known as the "pope's newspaper," L'Osservatore is under the direct authority of the Secretariat of State, which directs the Vatican's diplomatic relations, and reportedly vets articles on sensitive topics before publication.

The paper's coverage of Obama has been consistently friendly, and at times openly enthusiastic, since his election last November.

Rabbi to speak on stem cell research

“Religious Perspectives on Stem Cell Research” will be discussed by Rabbi Dennis S. Ross, director of Concerned Clergy for Choice, at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Concord, 9 Riverside Drive, Binghamton.

The program, sponsored by the Temple Concord Social Action Committee, is free and open to the public.

“People facing diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury and other life-threatening and life-altering medical conditions turn to stem cell research with hope for a cure,” Ross said.

Concerned Clergy for Choice is a statewide, multi-faith network of 1,000 religious leaders who support access to reproductive health care and education. The Albany-based network is a project of Family Planning Advocates of New York State.

New Stem Cell Web Site to Focus on Traumatic Brain Injury, Spinal Cord Injury and Diabetes

SAN DIEGO, May 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Entest BioMedical, Inc., a newly formed wholly-owned subsidiary of San Diego-based Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BMSN - News) announced today the launch of its Web site (http://www.EntestBio.com) to focus on new stem cell research, including a proposed research to develop a new therapeutic solution for traumatic brain injury (TBI) using autologous adipose-derived (fat) stem cells representing a potential cure. There are currently 1.5 million new cases of TBI occurring in the U.S. each year, adding to the almost 6.5 million existing cases. The Company is also pursuing research in the use of fat stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury, in which approximately 200,000 patients in the U.S. suffer from this disability.

The site also highlights the Company's progress in developing a gestational diabetes screening test, as the exclusive licensee granted by UCLA. The non-invasive, highly accurate streamline test mitigates the lengthy process of diagnoses and would more quickly treat the glucose intolerant disease, which potentially impacts 4.3 million pregnant women each year.

Along with background about types of stem cells and factoids, the new site also reviews Entest BioMedical's focus on the promising field of in vitro expansion of adult stem cells using other types of cells, such as peripheral stem cells and cord blood stem cells to treat cancer and other diseases. The R & D company is also exploring isolating hematopoietic stem cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow and differentiating them into immune cells, especially T cells.

"Our new Web site demonstrates Entest BioMedical's mission and key scientific personnel who are dedicated to discovering and developing new procedures, treatments and medical devices that improve the quality of life - leading research and technology that serve the present and help shape the future," said David Koos, Ph.D., DBA, Chairman and CEO.

About Entest BioMedical, Inc.

Entest BioMedical, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (OTC BB: BMSN - News) formed in April 2009, focuses on research and development of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury using autologous "adipose-derived" stem cells. Entest BioMedical is involved with R&D activities relating to stem cell therapies, diabetes testing and medical devices.

Disclaimer

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties to which forward-looking statements are subject include, but are not limited to, the effect of government regulation, competition and other material risks.

New Stem Cell Research Unlocks Unknown Therapies

"Stem cell research and regenerative medicine are in an extremely exciting phase right now. We are gaining knowledge very fast and many companies are being formed and are starting clinical trials in different areas," says Dr Jonas Frisén.

As an example, a first-in-human study was just initiated for Parkinson's disease patients with the drug product, sNN0031, from the Swedish company NeuroNova. The drug, which is administered into the fluid-filled cavities of the brain, has shown long lasting recovery and formation of new cells in animal models of Parkinson's disease. Last year, a treatment for ALS entered the clinical trial phase.

Disorders in the brain and nervous system result in more hospitalizations than any other disease group, and treatments entail large costs to society. The research field of neuroscience is one of Sweden's finest. This had resulted in achievements within numerous areas of basic science with considerable scope to direct clinical applications. These include research advances concerning the origin and repair of nerve cell damage following stroke and spinal cord injury, as well as research into major degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

Dr Frisén is one of Sweden's leading stem cell researchers, since many years with a focus on nerve stem cells. Among his most recent publications is an article in Science, April 3rd, 2009 where evidence is shown for renewal of heart muscle cells in humans, a result that can be used to develop therapeutic strategies for cardiac pathologies.

NeuroNova AB is a Swedish biopharmaceutical company working with neurogenesis and neuroprotection for treatment of several currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Jonas Frisén is the scientific founder of NeuroNova.

Source:
Sabina Bossi
Karolinska Institutet

Obama Judicial Nominee Draws Opposition From Disability Community - Judge Andre Davis' Record Reveals Bias Against Workers with Disabilities

Contact: Jim Ward, President
ADA Watch/National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR)
Washington, DC
www.adawatch.org

A national nonpartisan coalition of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations today announced their opposition to the confirmation of Judge Andre Davis, President Obama's pick for a lifetime seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) are opposing Davis because his record as a district court judge in Maryland reveals a bias against workers with disabilities. The group stated that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is critical to the efforts of people with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment and to become fully participating members of their communities.

The organization's president, Jim Ward joined other leaders at the White House last week and informed the Administration of their opposition. Ward stated today, "The current leadership in Congress and the White House have promised to select judicial nominees who understand the challenges facing working Americans and who are committed to core value of equal justice. We believe that in the area of disability rights this nominee's record does not meet these baseline criteria and, therefore, we are opposed to Judge Davis's elevation to the Fourth Circuit and will mobilize our membership in this regard."

·   Judge Davis has repeatedly imposed inappropriately stringent standards that have prevented individuals with disabilities from enforcing rights under federal antidiscrimination laws, particularly in the area of employment.

·   He has made it exceedingly difficult for people to show that they are individuals with disabilities entitled to the protections that Congress provided in the ADA.

·   He has incorrectly imposed procedural hurdles on ADA plaintiffs that are contrary to the ADA's requirements.

·   He has applied cramped interpretations of law to reject the discrimination claims of workers with disabilities.

ADA Watch is a national, cross-disability coalition of hundreds of disability, civil rights and social justice organizations united to defend and advance the civil rights of people with disabilities. The National Coalition for Disability Rights (NCDR) is the national association of state disability coalitions. For nearly a decade, ADA Watch/NCDR's Campaign for Fair Judges has informed the disability community and the general public regarding judicial nominees that pose a threat, based on their public records, to civil rights protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other disability rights laws. While not all of our national and state coalition partners take positions on judicial nominees or share this position, a majority of our Board of Directors has voted to formally oppose the confirmation of Judge Davis.

Excerpts from letter to White House with legal research and analysis by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:

The White House has asserted that Judge Davis has a very balanced track record in disability cases. We appreciate that Judge Davis has reached decisions favorable to the plaintiffs in cases involving issues such as physical access to courthouses and housing developments, and effective communications with medical providers. These cases do not, however, assuage our concerns about Judge Davis's record in the area of employment discrimination, in which people with disabilities fare particularly poorly.[1] It is in that context that the vast majority of disability discrimination cases are brought. As such, it is in that context that we are particularly concerned with ensuring that our judges respect the civil rights of individuals with disabilities.

    We could find only one published decision, in nearly 14 years on the bench, in which Judge Davis ruled in favor of the plaintiff on the substance of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) employment discrimination claim.[2] A number of the decisions in which he ruled for the employer are deeply troubling in ways that relate to core disability community concerns:

In Rose v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., 186 F. Supp.2d 595 (D. Md. 2002), Judge Davis set out extraordinary hurdles for a person to demonstrate that he had a disability. The judge refused to recognize Gary Rose's disability because he "did not follow the proper protocol in determining whether he had vasomotor rhinitis" and "did not receive a proper treatment plan for his impairment." Nothing in the ADA requires a person to have a proper diagnosis or a treatment plan in place for his disability in order to receive protection from discrimination. Judge Davis, however, found that Rose should have followed up with a different doctor, undergone a CT scan to rule out the possibility of a different diagnosis, and "consistently followed a treatment regime" in order to establish his disability. This type of analysis is particularly problematic for individuals with disabilities that are challenging to diagnose accurately and treat effectively, including many individuals with
psychiatric disabilities. The notion that individuals should be denied protection under the ADA until they have spent months or years trying to obtain effective treatment to control the effects of their disabilities is a perversion of the ADA, and is certainly not suggested by the decisions of either the Supreme Court or the Fourth Circuit.[3]

In Fitch v. Solipsys Corp., 94 F. Supp.2d 670 (D. Md. 2000), Judge Davis held that the ADA's "regarded as" prong did not protect someone who is repeatedly referred to as a "cripple" by his employer.    Keith Fitch presented evidence that he was referred to by his employer as a "cripple" on multiple occasions due to a heart condition that limited him from lifting more than forty pounds. Judge Davis concluded that this was not sufficient to show that he was regarded as disabled in the context of a work environment where "employees regularly used derogatory nicknames for each other."
·    In Martell v. Sparrow's Point Scrap Processing, LLC, 214 F. Supp.2d 527 (D. Md. 2002), Judge Davis held that the "regarded as" prong did not protect someone who is denied a job, even though the employer did not hire the applicant precisely because of his "abnormal hearing." Robert Martell presented evidence that he was regarded as substantially limited in hearing and working when an employer withdrew a job offer after learning that he had a hearing impairment, even though his hearing aids allowed him to recover "virtually all of his auditory capacity." In a holding not required by Fourth Circuit authority, Judge Davis found that Martell was not regarded as substantially limited in either hearing or working, even though the employer explicitly admitted that it refused to hire Martell because it believed that his "abnormal hearing" would create a danger in a noisy industrial setting.

·    In Campbell v. Federal Express Corp., 918 F. Supp. 912 (D. Md. 1996), the plaintiff, an applicant for a courier position whose left hand had been injured and lacked flexion, did not challenge Federal Express's refusal to hire him with the federal Department of Transportation.    Judge Davis held that the ADA requires a person bringing an employment claim under the ADA to exhaust an administrative review process with another agency, in this case the DOT, in addition to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) where an employer relies on that agency's regulations to support its defense. There is no requirement in the ADA or its regulations that plaintiffs in employment discrimination cases do so, only that they first seek relief from the EEOC before filing in federal court.

·    Finally, Judge Davis requires even pro se ADA litigants to overcome significant hurdles in exhausting their claims before filing. In Walton v. Guidant Sales Corp., 417 F. Supp.2d 719 (D. Md. 2006), Judge Davis dismissed the disability employment discrimination claim of a pro se plaintiff for failure to exhaust administrative remedies. Judge Davis ruled that, even though the EEOC itself considered the plaintiff to have filed a sufficient administrative charge within the statute of limitations, he had not. Judge Davis also ruled that equitable tolling should not apply. Equitable tolling applies when a pro se plaintiff misses a charge filing deadline due to reliance on misleading or incorrect information from the EEOC. Judge Davis held that the plaintiff here had not met this standard even though the plaintiff had contacted the EEOC on numerous occasions to inquire about the status of his administrative charge, was initially sent the wrong form by the EEOC,
alleged that he timely filed the corrected form that he was sent after informing the EEOC of their mistake, and was helped by the EEOC to complete another charge after the deadline because they could not find his earlier form and had experienced problems with their data management system during the relevant time period.

These holdings demonstrate a troubling misunderstanding of Congress's intent that the ADA offer significant protections from discrimination to millions of workers with disabilities. Our concern is not diminished by the enactment last year of the ADAAA, which restored the ADA's definition of disability to the broad scope intended by Congress and wrongfully restricted by decisions such as Judge Davis's.    These decisions, erroneously decided as they are, leave us fearful that Judge Davis may similarly misinterpret last year's amendments.

The selection of judicial nominees is extraordinarily important to our community given the serious obstacles that individuals with disabilities have faced in trying to enforce their rights in the courts, particularly in the context of workplace discrimination. The Fourth Circuit is of foremost concern to us, since that court is now closely split and in recent years has decided many significant disability rights decisions by divided panels. More than any other circuit, the Fourth Circuit has the potential to undergo significant balance-shifting when its vacant seats are filled.

The ADA's protections are critical to the efforts of people with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment and to become independent and fully participating members of their communities. We are very concerned that Judge Davis's elevation to the Fourth Circuit will do little to ensure that their rights are protected. We hope that you will recognize that and will take seriously the concerns of people with disabilities in the Judiciary Committee's consideration of Judge Davis's nomination.

Obama's Embryonic Stem Research Proposal Not Bold Enough, New York Times Editorial Says

Although the Obama administration's announcement of draft guidelines for federal funding of embryonic stem cell research "is a significant improvement" over former President George W. Bush's more restrictive policy, the new proposal "is not bold enough and will continue to deny federal financing to some potentially promising research," a New York Times editorial states. The Times reports that Obama’s proposal would allow federal funding "only on stem cell lines created from surplus embryos at fertility clinics but not on lines created in the laboratory to study particular diseases." Still, unlike Bush's restrictions, Obama's proposal would allow federally financed researchers to study embryonic stem cell lines that might be created in the future, the editorial says. In addition, it could "significantly expand the number of past lines that can be studied with federal dollars to include some of the hundreds that have been created around the world from surplus embryos," according to the editorial.

It continues that the new guidelines propose "rigorous eligibility standards," including that individuals who wish to donate surplus embryos from fertility treatments be informed of all disposal options, that written consent is obtained separately from donors' decision to create the embryos and that donors are permitted to withdraw consent before the embryos are used. These requirements are "widely accepted today," but "they could rule out research on lines derived in the past under less stringent codes, including many created at leading universities or even those approved under Mr. Bush," according to the editorial. "Officials will need to pay close attention to this potential problem before issuing final guidelines," the editorial says. The editorial also notes that the National Academy of Sciences and other scientific organizations have endorsed research using lab-created embryos to genetically match treatments for patients with certain diseases, such as diabetes or Parkinson’s. The guidelines would prohibit such research, known as "therapeutic cloning," although scientists have not yet successfully produced such embryos.

"The guidelines seem likely to increase the amount of embryonic stem cell research supported by the government without triggering a political backlash," the editorial says, concluding, "But given the potential value of the science, it is disappointing that the NIH didn't go further" (New York Times, 4/23).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

New Method For Bone-marrow-derived Liver Stem Cells Isolation And Proliferation

Bone-marrow-derived liver stem cells were once a hot topic in the field of stem cell research because of their important therapeutic implications, but little progress has been made in recent years because of the difficulty of isolation and proliferation of this special cell population. A research group in China has provided a new method for BDLSC isolation and proliferation, which brings new hope to the clinical use of bone-marrow-derived stem cells.

Great interest has been aroused in the identification and isolation of liver stem cells from bone marrow cells. Several subsets of bone marrow cells have been found to have the potential to differentiate into hepatocytes, however, sorting based on immunological methods is difficult because of the complicated surface markers of the stem cells; furthermore, no report of successful passage has been published.

A research team led by Dr. Cai and his colleagues from the Affiliated Foshan Hospital and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University established a carefully designed culture system to isolate, proliferate and differentiate liver stem cells directly from bone marrow cells, and they were able to achieve six passages of the stem cells. The results suggest that BDLSCs can be purified and passaged.

The selecting culture system that contains cholestatic serum can purify BDLSCs directly from bone marrow cells, which provides an easy method to separate stem cells, by avoiding complicated immunological manipulation. The successful passage of the stem cells further verifies the proliferating ability of the cells, although the passage is limited, and further research will provide more experience.

In this study, the authors used their original method to retrieve the cells, which are possibly BDLSCs. Then, they used fluorescence-activated cell sorting to determine the cells' characteristics before and after differentiation. This is an interesting and potentially important study, which suggests that bone-marrow-derived cells can be stimulated to expand and then differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells, which can possibly be used to treat liver disease.

Meeting with Congress UCI scientist will visit Capitol Hill to share plans he has with other researchers regarding stem-cell treatments.

By Joseph Serna

A leading neuroscientist and co-director of UCI’s stem cell research center will meet with members of Congress today and explain what he and his team will do when they conduct the first human trials of stem-cell therapy in the country later this year, university officials said.

Hans Keirstead, co-director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and faculty member at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, will meet with members of Congress and their aides to explain how he plans to implement his success spinal-cord injury therapy to humans. Keirstead’s clinical trials were recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration and will be the first human trials in the country.

Palo-Alto-based Geron Corp. will run the trials.

It’s basically an informational meeting where he will meet government officials and explain to them what he’s doing, so they can go back to their colleagues and update them, company officials said.

Keirstead will join Geron president Thomas Okarma and spinal-cord-injury research advocate Robert Klein on Capitol Hill from 10 to 11:30 a.m. today. The prominent neuroscientist is also expected to meet individually with policy- and lawmakers and emphasize the importance of academia partnering with industry for advances in medicine.

Keirstead will brief congressional members on his treatment of methylprednisolone, a type of paralysis. In a lab setting, he and UCI researchers have successfully restored motion for mice when they inject stem cells into the injured mouse’s spine within hours of the injury.

Paralysis can occur when the electrical signal from the brain through the Central Nervous System, notably through the spine, is stopped, such as during an injury. In Keirstead’s therapy, stem cells are injected into the injured area and replace the disrupted nerves, restoring the electrical signal, before scar tissue can form there and make the injuries permanent.

“If we can restore the ability for a quadriplegic to move his thumb, I would be dancing around,” Keirstead said earlier this year about the research.

What are the next steps for embryonic stem cell research?

A new report on embryonic stem cell research from The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) reviews key issues likely to be debated in the coming months as Congress and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) determine how the research will move forward.

President Barack Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research on March 9, and asked the NIH to revise its existing guidelines within 120 days. While these steps alone will undoubtedly expand research significantly, choices made in Congress and at the NIH could promote further research activity, or change its direction.

According to the report, Congress could codify the President's action - or countermand it - so that it could not be as readily altered by future administrations. Legislators also could overturn existing laws so that federal funding can be used not only to study any available stem cell lines, but also to create new ones. Likewise, the NIH has substantial leeway in deciding whether to support research that uses so-called "custom-made" embryos created exclusively for research, or derived through the techniques of therapeutic cloning, or to limit its support to embryos created at in-vitro fertilization clinics.

This paper describes pending legislation and existing guidelines designed to promote responsible research practices in the field of embryonic stem cell research, while explaining the decisions still to be made at the federal level

Stem cell expert coming to UNCC

One of the world's renowned experts on stem cell research is speaking next Tuesday at UNC Charlotte, and the lecture is open to the public.

Irving Weissman, from the Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, will speak at 10:30 a.m. next Tuesday in the Barnhardt Student Activity Center Salons.

Admission to the speech is open to the public, at no charge. But registration is required, and the deadline is Friday.

Weissman developed the general method to identify and isolate stem cells. Using that method, he and his collaborators developed the potential to isolate and harvest and stem cell from any tissue in any species. He also co-discovered a human central nervous system stem cell.

His current research encompasses the biology and evolution of stem cells, and he also is working to isolate and characterize cancer stem cells from a wide variety of solid tumors and leukemia.

The topic of his speech will be "Stem Cell Research and Public Policy."

UConn stem-cell research gets state-funded grant awards

By SCOTT WHIPPLE
Staff writer

Stem-cell research got a vote of confidence this week from state-funded grant awards; in fact, some researchers believe these awards will move research findings from the laboratory to the clinic.

Eleven University of Connecticut scientists received awards totaling $5.4 million from the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee. The awards are expected to advance embryonic and human adult stem-cell research in Connecticut.

Nine of the state grants were awarded to scientists at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington and two to researchers based at UConn’s Storrs campus. A total of 24 projects were awarded nearly $9.8 million.

In 2005 the Bush administration banned federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research. However, when President Barack Obama lifted the ban, Connecticut scientists were optimistic that state funding would eventually enable them to qualify for federal research funds.

“These grants are further testament to the ground-breaking work in stem-cell research going on at UConn’s Health Center and Storrs campuses,” said University of Connecticut President Michael Hogan. “This further investment by the state in our stem-cell programs reflects the leadership role UConn researchers are playing in scientific discovery and state-of-the-art health care. I’m very proud of the work of our research teams.”

The funding program, approved by the legislature and Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 2005, set aside $100 million for Connecticut-based embryonic and adult stem-cell research through 2015. Stem cells are the “building blocks” for every kind of cell in the body, capable of maturing into any tissue type, including pancreas, blood, bone or neuronal cells. Research on stem cells holds the promise of advancing human health care by developing cell transplantation therapies for diabetes, cancers, heart and blood diseases, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s diseases.

The state committee disbursed $20 million for 21 stem-cell training-and-research programs at UConn and other Connecticut universities in 2006. In 2008, another 22 research proposals were awarded nearly $9.8 million.

For this year’s third round, the committee received 77 preliminary requests seeking more than $30 million for research projects. UConn and its Health Center submitted 41 of the research proposals; Yale University turned in 30. Wesleyan University, the University of Hartford and Western Connecticut State University each submitted one proposal, as did two small biotech firms based in the state.

UConn Health Center Genetics and Developmental Biology Professor Ren-He Xu, received the largest grant, totaling $1.9 million, to train scientists and create lines of human embryonic stem cells.

“These grants will fuel the research of some of the most creative stem-cell scientists in the world, allowing them to pursue significant new directions in stem-cell research,” said Dr. Marc Lalande, professor and chairman of Ren-He Xu’s department. Lalande is associate dean for research planning and coordination at the University of Connecticut Health Center and director of the University of Connecticut’s Stem Cell Institute.

Lalande said the state-funded core lab is playing a critical role in the training of stem cell-scientists.

“This is a whole new way of thinking about human disease,” he said.

UCI scientist will visit Capitol Hill to share plans he has with other researchers regarding stem-cell treatments.

By Joseph Serna

Reporter JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.

Obama to Lift Restrictions on Embryonic Stem Cell Research

President Obama is expected to sign an executive order reversing a ban on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research, according to administration officials.

The officials said the president will announce the move at a Monday event at the White House, during which he will overturn a 2001 order by President George W. Bush that restricted federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to the existing 60 cell lines, according to reports by The Associated Press and CNN.

Obama's intent to lift restrictions on the controversial type of stem cell research has been known for some time! and is even articulated as part of his administration's agenda on The White House's Web site. But the exact date of when the reversal would take place was leaked on Friday.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, accused the president of "leaking" the news on Friday so it would receive less attention.

He said the administration used the same tactic to announce the repeal of other pro-life orders, including the Mexico City Policy, which declared that American tax dollars would not fund international organizations involved in performing or promoting abortions abroad, and a Bush administration rule that federally funded health institutions comply with laws protecting the conscience of medical and health practitioners.

Perkins said the order would give a green light to the use of taxpayer funds for experiments that encourage human embryo destruction.

"I believe it is unethical to use human life, even young embryonic life, to advanc! e science," he said in a statement. "While such research is un! fortunat ely legal, taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for experiments that require the destruction of human life."

Embryonic stem cell research has drawn controversy because it necessitates the destruction of the embryo during the process of harvesting the stem cells.

Proponents of embryonic stem cell research point to the cell?s pluripotent ability ? or its capacity to become nearly all cell types and tissues in the body ? claiming that it holds the cure for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson?s disease, and diabetes.

But pro-lifers, many of whom believe that life begins at conception, argue that destroying a human embryo is tantamount to killing human life. Many hold the view that embryonic stem cell research is not only unethical but also unsuccessful in producing cures or treatments for debilitating diseases.

Adult stem cell research is much more promising, pro-life advocates say.

"We should be increasing fundin! g for adult stem cell treatments, which have been used to treat patients for over 70 diseases and conditions, and we should fund the historic achievements in reprogramming ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells without compromising ethics by destroying life," stated Perkins.

Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey also echoed Perkins' sentiments.

"Why does the president persist in the dehumanizing of nascent human life when better alternatives exist? Human embryo-destroying stem cell research is not only unethical, unworkable and unreliable ? it is now, demonstrably unnecessary," said Smith, according to FOXNews.

In anticipation of Obama's decision, the National Institute of Health has started drafting guidelines, that among other ethical demands, are expected to require that the cells being used are derived with proper informed consent from the woman or couple who donated the original embryo, according to AP.

Dr. Arnold K! riegstein, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Rege! neration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UC San Francisco, told the San Francisco Chronicle the NIH will probably not be permitted to fund the actual derivation of new embryonic stem cells, under a federal law limiting embryo research called the Dickey-Wicker amendment.

So. Illinois man seeks stem cell cure in China

By Carly O'Keefe

HOYLETON, IL (KFVS) - There's a lot of debate surrounding stem cell research, but a Washington County man says certain types of stem cell treatments do work and shouldn't be controversial.

The type that has everyone talking is embryonic stem cell research. Chuck Melton of Hoyleton suffered a debilitating spinal injury back in 2002, and has since undergone umbilical cord stem cell treatments in China using cells from umbilical cords donated to research after a baby is born. Melton says he's seen small improvements following his first treatment; for instance, his spinal injury limited his body's ability to sweat, but after the stem cell injections, that changed.

"Before I went, I couldn't even go outside the house if it was more than 85 degrees outside, because I would pass out from heat exhaustion," Melton said. "So that little bit of sweating has enabled me to go and enjoy my kids soccer games, baseball games and what have you, so that's a blessing right there."

Melton doesn't expect to walk after his second trip to China in May. He's just hoping for more signs of improvement, and maybe, just maybe--someday, a miracle.

"Ultimately I would love to one day stand and walk my daughters down the aisle, but I'm also trying to be realistic because that's a very long ways away," he said. "I don't expect going back to have the ability to walk, it might not happen, but if I continue to go back, 6-7 times and continue to show small improvements, that'll be great, and hopefully I can pursue treatments someday here in the states."

Melton's friends and family are selling raffle tickets for $20 a piece to help pay for his next round of treatments in Qingdow, China coming up in May. They're raffling off a Bad Boy buggy, a 42-inch hi-def TV, a Touring 150 Deluxe Scooter, and a Dell laptop. If you would like to purchase a raffle ticket or donate to Melton's effort, contact Chuck Melton at 618-493-9001. For more information about Chuck Melton's stem cell treatments, log onto www.stemcellschina.com.

Senate OKs stem-cell bill

SANTA FE — A bill allowing human embryonic stem cell research in New Mexico was approved Thursday by the Senate.

Supporters say the research may lead to cures and treatments for illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and to repair damaged tissues, such as in spinal cord injuries. Stem cells are the building blocks for other cells in the body.

Under the bill, couples with leftover embryos at in-vitro fertilization clinics could donate them for research rather than have them discarded by the clinics.

"I just want to give these couples another option other than destroying them," said Sen. John Ryan, R-Albuquerque, who sponsored the legislation.

He said his late mother-in-law had suffered from Alzheimer's.

"It's one of the worst diseases we have," he said. "What it does to the family is one of the hardest things a family will have to go through."

Ryan estimated that 1,000 embryos are discarded by fertility clinics each year in New Mexico.

Opponents voiced objections to using human embryos for research.

"Open your hearts and minds to the possibility that a human is a human from the beginning," said Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington.

He said he understood the desire of supporters to find cures for diseases, pointing out that his wife had received a pancreas transplant and was no longer diabetic. However, he said there were other types of stem cells that could be used by scientists.

Supporters said the bill did not raise the same ethical and moral questions that dominate the public debate about abortion.

"This is not a bill that creates life to destroy it. The life is already there. The embryos are already there," said Sen. Rod Adair, R-Roswell.

Adair supported the bill, saying, "Are we going to continue to wantonly waste 1,000 embryos a year for no reason or will some possible good come out of it. That's the only choice."

Sen. Mary Jane Garcia, D-Dona Ana, said she had a sister who suffered from Alzheimer's.

"I think it's a bill that's about life. It will give life to other people," she said.

The bill cleared the Senate on a 27-14 vote and was sent to the House, where similar proposals have failed the past two years.

Gov. Bill Richardson supports the stem cell research proposal. He praised the Senate for "recognizing that our clinical research laws are out of date and for passing this important legislation that could lead to potentially life-saving research under careful conditions and important restrictions."

President Barack Obama is expected to soon lift a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Under President George W. Bush, federal money for the research was limited to embryonic stem cell lines created before Aug. 9, 2001.

The stem cell research bill is SB77.

Scientists Heartened at Prospect of End to Stem Cell Ban

By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 9 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers are rejoicing over President Barack Obama's anticipated lifting of the eight-year ban on embryonic stem cell research imposed by his predecessor, President George W. Bush.

The anticipation moved one step closer to reality Thursday, with media reports that Obama gave House Democrats at a closed-door Virginia retreat a "guarantee" that he would sign an executive order overturning Bush's policy.

"It's going to remove an embarrassment for American science," said Dr. Darwin Prockop, director of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Scott & White Hospital in Temple. "It's a statement that we're going to again believe in science."

Yet those same experts are aware that the sobering state of the economy could impose its own restrictions on this type of research.

"This clearly is a very important part of our medical future," said Paul Sanberg, distinguished professor of neurosurgery and director of the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair in Tampa. "[But] to clear the path for this without giving additional money to the National Institutes of Health will be disappointing. I hope the stimulus package also includes an increase in embryonic stem cell funding."

Sanberg also expressed concern that any monies redirected to stem cell research could divert funds from other critical avenues of research. "If it's a normal competitive process, it will take money away from other programs," he said.

Stem cell research received a big boost in January, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial using embryonic stem cells as a medical treatment.

Geron Corp., a California-based biotech company, was given the OK to implant embryonic stem cells in eight to 10 paraplegic patients who can use their arms but can't walk.

In 2001, then-president Bush limited federal funding for stem cell research only to human embryonic stem cell lines that already existed.

The decision prompted some scientists to worry that the United States would fall behind other countries in the drive to unlock the potential of stem cell research.

Embryonic stem cells are the most basic human cells, believed to be capable of growing into any type of cell in the body. Working as a sort of repair system for the body, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells. The scientific hope is that stem cells may, at some point in the future, become capable of treating a variety of diseases and conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart disease and spinal cord injuries, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

National polls continue to find that the majority of Americans favors embryonic stem cell research, although some surveys have found that that support has declined somewhat in recent years.

Many people object to the use of embryonic stem cells, contending that the research requires the destruction of potential life, because the cells must be extracted from human embryos.

The stem cells being used in the recently approved Geron trial were obtained from one of the Bush administration's approved stem cell lines. And no federal funds were used in the development of this treatment.

Since the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research took effect, many research institutions have redirected their focus to other types of stem cells. Prockop's institution, for instance, deals only with adult stem cells.

Adult stem cells can give rise to all the specialized types of cells found in tissue from which they originated, such as skin. But, scientists don't agree on whether adult stem cells may yield cell types other than those of the tissue from which they originate, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Prockop said embryonic stem cells "are mainly of interest as a research tool and a biological experimental system. Their use in patients in spite of that recent approval for Geron is really very questionable because of the potential for tumors."

Still, the anticipated lessening of restrictions by the Obama administration may help funnel more private money into stem cell research, the experts said.

"This should give more general acceptance to stem cell research, because now, there won't be this stigma associated with it as much," Sanberg said.

And, perhaps, a new federal policy would spur organizations such as the American Heart Association -- which currently does not fund research involving human embryonic stem cells or stem cells derived from fetal tissue -- to channel funds into this line of research, Sanberg added. (The heart association said it "recognizes the value of all types of stem cell research and supports federal funding of this research.")

Still, Sanberg pointed out, some ethical issues surrounding stem cell research and its application will remain.

For instance, he said, "There still needs to be some oversight on the uses of stem cells and cloning."

To learn more about stem cells, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Human stem cell study gets approved

"Politics played no role in the FDA's decision. These things are a process. The timing was governed by the waiting for the company to come back to us with an answer to one of our previous questions. It's about science, not politics."-Karen Riley, FDA pres

By: Tamara Howard, Daily Vidette Staff Writer

The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, to be performed by Geron Corporation.

The researchers will test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients.

Embryonic stem cells are blank cells found in four- to five- day old embryos that have the ability to turn into any cell in the body.

Many objections come from the fact that when the stem cells are removed, the embryo is destroyed. Still, there are other reasons.

"[Geron] Corporation is all about making money, not about helping everyone, just those who can pay," Cecilia Castro, a Heartland Community College sophomore, said.

"They also don't know if it will cure or hurt someone in the end."

According to a CNN article, these patients have to have complete spinal cord injuries that have occurred within seven to 14 days.

The tests will use stem cells cultured from embryos left over in fertility clinics, which otherwise would have been discarded.

The primary purpose of the trial will be to see if the patients will be safe during the injection of the cells. The patients will be monitored for a year after the injections to see if they are regaining some kind of function below the injured point.

The trials will include eight to 10 patients who are completely paralyzed below the third and tenth vertebrae.

As reported by CNN, researchers and advocates have complained that the former restrictions set back work toward curing diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

However, that was not the underlying decision in the FDA's approval.

"Politics played no role in the FDA's decision," Karen Riley, FDA press officer said. "These things are a process."

"The timing was governed by the waiting for the company to come back to us with an answer to one of our previous questions. It's about science, not politics."

Researchers are expecting President Obama to undo George W. Bush's former policies regarding the subject.

Jamie Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed the first human embryonic stem cells in 1998.

However, federal research funds were prohibited for embryonic stem cell research until 2001.

At the time, former president George W. Bush approved spending for research using only already existing cell lines. It was later discovered that those kinds of lines were rarely useful for research.

The trials are expected to start in the summer due to needed FDA approval.