Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

STEM CELL RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - June 07, 2007)

Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the speed of scientific investigation certainly exceeds that of the legislative process. Medical research, especially in the field of regenerative medicine, holds great promise, and it is our responsibility to strike an appropriate balance between that which is ethical and the promise that regenerative medicine holds. Science is resolving and providing answers to this ethical dilemma actually without the help of legislation from this Congress, but really through the hard work of dedicated medical researchers.

Yesterday, in an article published in the scientific periodical ``Nature,'' several teams of researchers have been able to make stem cells from a mouse skin cell, a mouse fibroblast, by genetically modifying it with a special technique that they have developed.

So here we have a stem cell that was created from a skin cell without destroying an embryo. These researchers have already shown success with mice by reprogramming mature cells to act like stem cells. This field of cell signaling is going to be very important in the field of regenerative medicine in the decades to come.

These researchers are also working to see how these reprogrammed cells may limit the growth of tumors, a problem identified when using human embryonic stem cells from destroyed embryos.

When we had this discussion last January, Dr. Anthony Atala from Wake Forest University and his Institute of Regenerative Medicine have found that stem cells derived from amniotic fluid, no harm to the baby, no harm to the fetus, cells derived from amniotic fluid have the same or similar characteristics of stem cells derived from embryos. He has been able to build on this research and regrow human organs, bladders in mice, in a handful of cases to do the same thing in humans. Because these stem cells are not from embryos but from the amniotic fluid or from the placenta, there is much less risk of tumors developing than there is in embryonic stem cells. Because these cells are not from embryos but from the amniotic fluid, there is no harm to the embryo. Over 40 cell lines are available in Dr. Atala's lab.

Mr. Speaker, I am extremely disappointed that we have brought this bill to the floor without a hearing in our committee. The science has moved tremendously. This is the same bill we debated 2 years ago on this House floor. Not a single committee hearing, not a single consideration of how the science has advanced in the past 2 years. That is a shame, and for that reason this bill should be defeated. We should go back to the committee and go through regular order.

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Once again, we are debating a bill on the House floor which science has lapped multiple times.

We all agree that medical research, especially in the fields of regenerative medicine hold great promise, but our responsibility is to strike an appropriate balance between the ethical challenges of stem cell research and the promise that it holds.

Science is beginning to address this ethical dilemma without the help of legislation from this Congress, but through the hard work of hundreds of medical researchers.

I would like to call an article in the recent edition of Nature to the Speaker's attention.

Several teams of researchers have been able to make stem cells from a certain type of skin cell genetically modified with retroviruses, without destroying embryos.

These researchers have already shown success with mice by reprogramming mature cells to act like stem cells.

These researchers are also working to see how these reprogrammed cells may also limit he growth of tumors, a problem identified when using stem cells derived from destroyed embryos.

Dr. Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest University's Institute of Regenerative Medicine, has also found that stem cells derived from amniotic fluid have the same or similar characteristics of stem cells derived from embryos.

He has been able to build on this research and re-grow bladders in mice and in a handful of cases do the same in humans.

Because these stem cells are not from embryos but from amniotic fluid or placenta, there is less risk of tumors.

Over 40 lines are available in Dr. Atala's lab already, and he has the ability to collect more of these very plastic cells in any birthing center.

In fact, I am disappointed that instead of considering a bill that actually does something, which I have cosponsored and introduced by Congressman LIPINSKI, is not before us in place of S. 5.

This bill would provide funding to bank amniotic and placental cells and make them available for research and at some point in the future for actual medical treatments.

This Congress and its leadership has missed an opportunity to hold hearings on this important field of medical research and bring something to the floor that would actually move the science forward.

Instead, we have before us today, an uninformed, morally objectionable bill designed to inflame political divisions when what America needs is a Federal medical research policy that moves forward in an ethical and responsible manner in real-time, adapting to the needs of science.

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