Castle, DeGette: National Stem Cell Bank Does Not Replace Need to Expand Federal Policy

Castle, DeGette: National Stem Cell Bank Does Not Replace Need to Expand Federal Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Reacting to the news that the University of Wisconsin will become home to the United States' first national stem cell bank, Representatives Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diana DeGette (D-CO), the House leaders on embryonic stem cell research, today said that while this national bank will help ease access for scientists and ensure important research projects will move forward, it will not solve the nation's real problem of advancing research rapidly.

"By organizing, characterizing and disseminating the 22 federally-approved embryonic stem cell lines, the University of Wisconsin will be doing this nation a great service in hopefully easing access to the lines and in ensuring key projects move forward. Since the university is home to Dr. Jamie Thompson, who first discovered embryonic stem cells seven years ago, this is a very fitting decision. However, not only is the establishment of such a bank long overdue, it is also is not the silver bullet many of us would like it to be," Castle said.

"The reality is that the best way to jump start embryonic stem cell research in this country -- in the hope of finding cures to our most dredge diseases -- is to expand the federal policy so scientists have access to the most technologically advanced, cleanest, genetically diverse and disease specific lines possible. There is no reason to limit our scientists to lines that were created before 2001, when so much progress has taken place since then. It is time for the federal policy to change," Castle said.

"The University of Wisconsin is taking an important leadership in embryonic stem cell research. The creation of a stem cell bank by itself, however, still leaves researchers with one arm tied behind their backs. To harness the full potential of stem cells, we must expand federal support of this research by passing H.R. 810 into law," said Rep. DeGette. "A stem cell bank is only as good as the lines in it. Without federal funding we will simply not have the resources to develop the number and diversity of lines researchers need."

Castle and DeGette led the effort in the House of Representatives in passing H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, in May, 2005. The legislation would expand the current federal embryonic stem cell policy by allowing federally funded research to move forward on lines that we derived privately and ethically according to the following principles:

*Embryos were originally created for fertility treatment purposes and are in excess of clinical need;
*The individuals seeking fertility treatments for whom the embryos were created have determined that the embryos will not be implanted in a woman and will be discarded;

*The individuals for whom the embryos were created have provided written informed consent for embryo donation and have not received any financial or other inducements to make the donation.

The Senate is expected to consider the Castle-DeGette bill sometime this fall.

According to the National Institutes of Health the stem cell bank willconsolidate many of the federally funded eligible human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines in one location, reduce the costs that researchers have to pay for the cells, and maintain quality control over the cells.

http://www.house.gov/castle/pr_05_castledegette.html