June 8, 2005

Calls for expanded access to uncontaminated embryonic stem cell lines

Washington, DC – Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, today held a hearing to discuss new advances in embryonic stem cell research and the potential for treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“As one of the most exciting and rapidly advancing fields of modern medicine, embryonic stem cell research holds the key to unlocking the secrets of diseases that have mystified scientists for years,” said Smith.

The Aging Committee heard testimony from an expert panel of witnesses who are pioneering cutting-edge research in the field of embryonic stem cell research. The Committee also heard from former NBA basketball player Chris Dudley, who has lived with diabetes since the age of 16 and is now a leading advocate for research aimed at finding a cure for this disease.

Speaking about the potential of embryonic stem cell research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, Dr. Lawrence Goldstein of the University of California, San Diego and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, said “by learning to induce human embryonic stem cells to become the types of brain cells that malfunction in Alzheimer's Disease, and by introducing into them the genetic changes that cause Alzheimer’s disease in people, we are working to test the different ideas for what goes wrong at the earliest stages in brain cells afflicted with this disease. As we learn which ideas are likely to be correct, these very cells may be important test-beds to evaluate or develop candidate drugs for treatment.”

As America’s population ages, more people will become afflicted with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Together the estimated annual cost of caring for patients with these diseases is $650 billion. Finding a way to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by just five years would reduce the numbers of cases and spending on this disease by more than 50 percent.

“Responsible research conducted in the name of saving lives and grounded in the roots of scientific research must be allowed to flourish if we are to find cures for these debilitating diseases,” said Sen. Smith. “Our best and brightest scientists must be given the tools they need to vigorously pursue their quest so we can begin to give hope to victims and their loved ones.”

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