We've updated our Privacy Policy to make it clearer how we use your personal data. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. You can read our Cookie Policy here.

Advertisement

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Offers Most Promise for Americans with Diabetes

Listen with
Speechify
0:00
Register for free to listen to this article
Thank you. Listen to this article using the player above.

Want to listen to this article for FREE?

Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.

Read time: 1 minute

On the eve of the Senate's vote on stem cell research, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) urged Senators that there is no acceptable alternative to the passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (H.R. 810).

The ADA has been a strong supporter of the bill, which would accelerate stem cell research by easing existing restrictions and supporting research that uses embryonic stem cells, while maintaining strict ethical guidelines.

The fact is, many embryos that currently exist as part of infertility treatments are slated to be discarded. Rather than disposing of these embryos, they could be used to save millions of lives.

The Senate will consider two other bills this week as part of the stem cell debate, Senate Bill 2754 and Senate Bill 3504.

According to ADA, S.2754 would accomplish nothing that cannot already be done without this legislation, while S.3504, a bill to ban "fetal farming," would ban an activity that is already unacceptable in the field of science.

"H.R. 810 is the one bill in the package of bills being debated that truly offers promise to the 20.8 million American children and adults with diabetes," said Lawrence T. Smith, Chair of the American Diabetes Association, who has a daughter with type 1 diabetes.

"The American Diabetes Association is committed to finding a cure for this disease, and we support the exploration of every ethical avenue of research."

"The most respected scientists in our field view human embryonic stem cells as an area of research that must be explored."

"Under the current restrictions, this is not happening on the scale necessary to pursue lifesaving cures."

Federal regulations that President Bush announced in 2001 have restricted the number of human embryonic stem cell lines available for federally-funded research, and attempted usage of those lines has demonstrated that the number of adequate lines is even smaller due to contamination.

Since 2001, scientists have discovered much better methods of deriving stem cell lines so that they do not face the same contamination issues.

A significant expansion in the number of available lines is necessary in order to fully reap the medical rewards of stem cell research.

Stem cell research allows scientists to better explore how to control and direct stem cells so they can grow into other cells, such as insulin-producing beta cells found in the pancreas.

Creating new beta cells could mean a cure for type 1 diabetes as they would serve as a replenishable source of cells for islet cell transplantation. They could also provide a tool for controlling type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association also expressed serious concerns about a possible impending Presidential veto.

"We understand that the President has said he plans to veto H.R. 810," Smith said.

"This would be a devastating setback for Americans who are affected by diabetes, and we sincerely hope he rethinks this position."

"The President has a responsibility to the 70 percent of Americans who support the use of embryonic stem cell research in order to pursue cures for diabetes and dozens of other debilitating and deadly diseases."

"This is an historic opportunity to advance scientific research, and it should not be squandered."