Human Embryo Stem Cell Research

HUMAN EMBRYO STEM CELL RESEARCH -- (House of Representatives - June 15, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, many people have probably seen the recent news coverage about Nancy Reagan's hope to see more funding go to human embryo stem cell research in the hopes of finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease. Indeed, recently Newsweek ran a cover story on this issue.

I am a physician, and I used to care for many patients with Alzheimer's disease, and I know first hand the anguish it causes to lose a loved one or to have a family member with this condition. I have three concerns that I would like to raise about this debate.

First of all, I am concerned that advocates for this embryo stem cell research are unethically playing on the emotions of millions of Americans. Of all the conditions that have been proposed as possibly treatable with stem cells, whether embryonic or adult stem cells, Alzheimer's disease is one of the least likely where stem cells could be useful.

I say this because on autopsy, the brains on Alzheimer's disease patients do not show a pure dropout of neurons. If it was a loss of normal nerve cells, cell therapy might have potential. The fact is the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients typically contain lesions called senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The plaques, which accumulate on the outside of neurons, consist mainly of deposits of a protein called beta-amyloid. Chemical and cellular markers of inflammation are also present.

We need to find out what causes these plaques and how we can prevent them. It is not clear at all if the problem with Alzheimer's disease is treatable with cell replacement therapy. Most experts I have contacted feel that the more promising solution will be early detection, very early detection, and medication to prevent progression and not cell replacement therapy.

Secondly, I am quite concerned that people are being falsely led to believe that it is only embryo stem cells that might have potential here.

Mr. Speaker, the following diseases have been successfully treated with adult stem cells from humans: Parkinson's disease, blindness has been treated, relief of symptom of lupus, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis; the cure of combined immunodeficiency diseases, the treatment of several different types of leukemia, solid tumors, neuroblastomas, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, multiple sclerosis. Indeed, the list goes on and on.

However, there have been no successful treatments of any humans with embryo stem cells, and, as I have said repeatedly on this floor, they do not have an animal model of successfully treating an animal with embryo stem cells. Indeed, it is unclear if they will ever have clinical usefulness.

Last, I would like to say the President of the United States, George Bush, is unfairly being portrayed in the press as standing in the way of this research progressing. The truth is embryo stem cell research is perfectly legal in the United States today. The debate is who is going to fund this research.

Many of us feel that this research should be funded by private dollars and not funded by the American taxpayer because, number one, it involves the destruction of a human embryo, a human life, and, number two, it is quite unclear if it will ever have any clinical significance. Indeed, some groups, I must say, are engaged in what I believe is deceptive communications on this issue. A case in point I will cite is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The JDRF claims that embryo stem cell research is the most promising research. Their lobbying packet contains in its table of contents "embryo stem cell research, stem cell research, our best hope for a cure." However, JDRF had a $80 million research and education budget. They only spent $3 million on embryo stem cells, which is 4 percent of their budget, but, Mr. Speaker, they spent $15 million, four times as much, 20 percent of their budget, on adult stem cell research.

Why is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation saying that embryo stem cell research has the most potential but they are spending four times as much money on adult stem cell research?

The truth is we have a multi-billion dollar biotechnology industry in America today, and they are spending nothing on this research. The advocates for this research are clamoring to get the American taxpayer to pay for it. In my opinion, that is an insult to the legacy of Ronald Reagan, asking the Federal Government to pick up the tab for something of questionable value, when private industry would reap huge benefits if it really had the potential it did have.

I think President George Bush is making the right move, and we need to support him in this decision.