November 18, 2007

Using viruses and genes, scientists Shinya Yamanaka, Junying Yu, and Jamie
Thomson recently reprogrammed skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells.

The new method, Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cell research, may turn out
to be hugely important-or not-or something in the middle.  Not only the
scientific world, but also millions of sufferers of chronic disease are
eager to know its real value, as the new technique begins the long months
and years of necessary testing, scrutiny and research.

Unfortunately, ideological groups are attempting to use the new method as an
excuse to shut down embryonic stem research-while crediting its known
opponents.

Chief among the latter is President George Bush, who twice vetoed the Stem
Cell Research Enhancement Act, and who supported jail sentences and million
dollar fines for scientists involved with nuclear transfer, an advanced form
of stem cell research.

Suddenly, Mr. Bush was being heaped with praise by conservatives, crediting
for having somehow inspired the new research. Typical was the Discovery
Institute's Wesley Smith:

"So thank you for your courageous leadership, Mr. President. .we now have
the very real potential of developing thriving and robust stem-cell
medicine. that will bridge, rather than exacerbate, our moral differences
over the importance and meaning of human life."-National Review, "Bush Bears
Fruit", 11/20/2007

The Catholic Conference of Bishops has called upon the state of New York to
transfer all its embryonic stem cell research (ESCR)  funding to the new
method.  Several states are now considering legislation which would
essentially ban ESCR-alleging that it has now been proven unnecessary..

Are they right? The following is a brief (10 pages) compendium of quotes
from expert witnesses.

"STANDING IN THE WAY OF STEM CELL RESEARCH.."
"We are disappointed that what should be used as a hopeful step forward for
the over 100 million patients with incurable diseases and conditions is
being used as a political tool to obstruct progress.  (emphasis added) .it
is short-sighted  and misleading to claim that (the) work obviates the need
for further research.  . these discoveries provide the most compelling
reason to date for the overturn of the Presidential veto and enactment of
the widely supported Stem Cell Research Act. we don't really know what all
the capabilities of embryonic stem cells are yet, so saying reprogrammed
cells have those capabilities is premature."

--Alan I. Leshner, chief executive, American Association for Advancement of
Science, and  James A. Thomson, pioneering stem cell researcher. Washington
Post, Dec. 8, 2007

WAS GEORGE BUSH RIGHT?
(An article claimed that) "George Bush was right, that we have now found a
way to create 'a magical stem cell that can become bone or brain or heart or
liver' without using human embryos.
"It is not true. (emphasis added) It is not even close to true.

"The greatest loss of all would be if these exciting new discoveries were
allowed to create the false belief that research opposed by the Bush
administration-research involving.embryonic stem cells.from frozen embryos
that would otherwise have been discarded-was no longer necessary.

"The only voices saying that these new discoveries have made the debate over
stem cell research moot are the voices that were opposed to (the) research
all along."

--Susan L. Solomon, CEO, New York Stem Cell Foundation, and Zach W. Hall,
former President, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Huffington
Post, 11/30/07

POLITICAL "CREDIT" FOR OPPONENTS OF RESEARCH?
"I really don't think anybody ought to take credit in light of the six-year
delay (emphasis added) we've had.My own view is that science ought to be
unfettered and that every possible alternative ought to be explored..if we
can find something which is certifiably equivalent to embryonic stem cells,
fine. But we are not there yet."---

Senator Arlen Specter, (R-PA) NY Times, 11/21/07

BUSH POLICY DELAYS STEM CELL ADVANCE?
 "My feeling is that the political controversy set the field back about four
or five years." (Bush's funding limits) "represented very bad public policy
as far as I'm concerned. The field has been much slower taking off than it
would have been otherwise."

--Dr. James Thomson, generally considered the founder of embryonic stem cell
research, and a co-author of the iP stem cell procedure. Chicago Tribune,
November 21, 2007

PLAYING POLITICS WITH STEM CELL RESEARCH?
".Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, including President Bush, are
already arguing that the skin cell advance should end the use of stem cells
derived from human embryos. That would be shortsighted...  Scientists are
years away from knowing if human skin cells will actually work as a
substitute.

"President Bush's stem cell strategy is to deny federal funding for research
because it destroys human embryos. But his moral objection doesn't apply to
hundreds of thousands of human embryos discarded every year in the name of
in vitro fertilization.

".the President and others (have been) playing politics with stem cell
research.

-editorial, San Jose Mercury News, 11/27/2007

NO MORE EMBRYONIC? ASK SCIENTIST WHO DID THE EXPERIMENT
One of two principle investigators of the new method, Shinya Yamanaka of
Japan,  said:

 "New Advances in IPS cell research do not obviate the need for Human
Embryonic Stem Cells .it would be a serious mistake to conclude that recent
developments in IPS cell research.avert the need for ongoing research on hES
(human embryonic stem) cells. Research on IPS cells has barely begun.

".tumorigenicity (cancer-causing properties--dr) and safety are major
concerns.

"..we hold that research into all avenues of human stem cell research must
proceed together. Society deserves to have the full commitment of scientific
inquiry at its service.

"...inspiration for IPS cell research came from an earlier stem cell
study... with hES cells.

 . the recent advancements in IPS cell research would not be possible if not
it were not for.years of dedicated hES cell research that preceded them. We
cannot support that notion that IPS cell research can advance without hES
research."

--Chicago Tribune, November 21, 2007

  IS THE NEW RESEARCH ALL WE NEED?
"Dr. Yamanaka's work.further emphasizes the critical need we have to
continue working with naturally occurring human embryonic stem cells, which
remain the gold standard (emphasis added) against which all alternative
sources of human pluripotent stem cells must be tested.."

--Dr. Richard Murphy, interim President of the California Institute for
Regenerative Medicine.

AND FROM THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS?
".Choosing to focus on only one avenue of research or type of cell source,
would.be irresponsible, unreasonable, and premature. (emphasis added)

"Promising and successful research exploring human stem cells should be
supplemented with-not supplanted by-new and potentially exciting approaches,
with all forms of research moving forward along multiple independent paths.

".no one knows what important discoveries would be missed if we were to.
'place all of our eggs in one new basket,' especially if that decision were
largely driven by emotional and political expediency."

-William Brinkley, dean of Graduate School of Biomedical Science at Baylor
College of Medicine: Houston Chronicle, 11/24/07

HOW ABOUT MICHIGAN?
"Restricting research. and pushing researchers toward. techniques not fully
understood only serves to delay the considerable medical benefits that could
lead to cures to some of the most debilitating diseases of our time. With
cancer alone killing half a million Americans every year. we don't have time
to drag our feet.

--The Michigan Daily, 11/27/07


"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED"?
"It would be foolish to declare "Mission Accomplished" at this point. We
just don't know yet whether or not "embryo-like" cells are as good as the
real thing. Let us hope that scientists are allowed to find out."

--Rayilyn Brown, Board Member, Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's
Foundation

HEAD OF NIH STEM CELL TASK FORCE WEIGHS IN
".the head of the National Institutes of Health stem cell task force said it
would be a mistake for scientists to back away from research on embryonic
cells. (emphasis added)  Dr. Story Landis said the breakthrough with mature
cells was possible in part because of earlier work with embryonic cells.

"This does not obviate the need for human embryonic stem cell research",
Landis said.
To be able to compare results from the two types of research "is critical",
she added.

--Los Angeles Times, Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar, November 21, 2007

SCIENTISTS "CAN GET JOBS AT MCDONALDS"--??
"Every time we get a headline like this, some policy makers say, "OK, now we
can stop funding embryonic research, and you guys can get jobs at
 McDonalds," said Dr. Evan Snyder, director of the stem cell research center
at the Burnham Institute in California,
 (adding that).the genes used to produce (the embryonic-like) cells were
discovered through working with natural embryonic stem cells.

"What we find is that each (form of research-dr) informs the other," Snyder
said.

".they need to be tested head-to-head in the exact same animal model to see
which is most useful in a particular disease.You may need one type of cell
for one disease, and another type of cell for another disease.

"Snyder said Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research actually
retarded the breakthrough.perhaps by five years."

--Chicago Tribune, 21 November, 2007, also excerpt from Bradley Fikes North
County Times, 11-22-07

WEISSMAN OF STANFORD
"Because we cannot decide in advance which method will get us there first,
and because the lives of these patients must be paramount, we should not
gamble their lives on one.method."

--Irv Weissman is Director of Stanford's Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell
Biology and Medicine-quoted in USA Today, 11/25/07

"A SERIES OF BIG IFS."
"The bright future (of iPS cells) depends on a series of big ifs.

"First of all, the function of the reprogrammed cells will have to be
compared closely with the function of actual embryonic stem cells. "I'd be
surprised if these cells do all the same tricks as stem cells derived from
embryos.

"Also, in both experiments, the for-gene recipe was added to the skin cells
using a virus as a delivery package.  The FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
would never allow us to use these virus-identified cells in patients.

"Bottom line: there are very serious hurdles left to overcome. It could
still take years to get this to work in humans in a way that could be used
clinically."

--Robert Lanza, Advanced Cell Technology, MSNBC.com, 11/20/07, and USA
Today, 11/25/07

PARKINSON'S ADVOCATE MICHAEL J. FOX ON THE NEW RESEARCH
Michael J. Fox said Friday he's excited by recent news that.skin cells have
been reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells, but lamented the energy
and resources being put into this and other alternative approaches.

"The irony is that every big development in this area in the past few years
has involved efforts to mimic embryonic stem cells,".With research that had
gone into recreating what everyone agrees is the gold standard, who's to say
how close we might be to new treatment now if we had been pressing forward
with (embryonic) stem cells the whole time."

NEW CAMR PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT
"Amy Comstock Rick, chief executive of the Parkinson's Action Network, (and
incoming President of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical
Research-dr)said research on embryonic stem cells was much more advanced.
"Unless something has been shown to fail, it should not be taken off the
table-and embryonic stem cell research has shown great promise."-Los Angeles
Times, November 21, 2007

ONE THOUSAND DIFFERENCES.
".although they closely resemble embryonic stem cells, there are some
differences-over a thousand of them, in fact, according to microarray
analysis. .1,267 genes showed a greater than 5-fold difference in expression
between iPS cells and embryonic stem cells."-Synapse, Hadley Leggett,
12/06/07 (UCSF, site of Dr. Yamanaka's laboratory)

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF STEM CELL RESEARCH POINTS TO CANCER RISK, NEED FOR
MORE RESEARCH ON OTHER TECHNIQUES
"The process uses retroviruses to insert genes into somatic cells, and in
some cases genes that can cause cancer. Furthermore, the use of viruses to
transport the reprogramming genes into the adult human cells causes
mutations that predisposes these cells to cancer.

"It is premature to suggest that this approach can replace the derivation of
embryonic stem cells from embryos or by nuclear transfer. We believe that
research on human embryonic stem cells, somatic cell nuclear transfer and
"adult" or tissue-specific stem cells needs to continue in parallel. All are
part of a research effort that seeks to expand our knowledge of how cells
function, what fails in the disease process, and how the first stages of
human development occur.  It is this general knowledge that will ultimately
generate safe and effective therapies.

--ISSCR Statement on New Advances in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research,
Dr. I. Hyun, Chair of the ISSCR Ethics and Public Policy

NEW YORK STEM CELL FOUNDATION SEES OBJECTIONS
".the research uses known cancer-causing genes to reprogram cells and return
them to an embryonic-like state," said Dr. Kevin Eggan, NYSCF Scientific
Director, "The retroviruses used to introduce these additional genes often
turn on cancer genes that are already present.

"It remains to be determined whether reprogramming can be achieved without
using cancer-causing genes.

"We must also be certain that the resulting pluripotent stem cells are
entirely equivalent to embryonic stem cells," said Dr. Eggan.

--NYSCF, November 20, 2007

'WOULDN'T BE SUITABLE FOR MEDICAL THERAPIES".
"The new technique wouldn't be suitable for medical therapies because it
uses viruses to inject genes into the cells' DNA. Such viruses insert the
genes at random locations, sometimes causing mutations."

-Science news Online, Nov. 24, 2007

KENNEDY'S VIEW
"Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) hailed the new reports as "extraordinary
scientific breakthroughs", but said embryonic stem cell research must
continue. "Instead of aiding that fight, the Bush administration is
hampering it through needless restrictions on stem cell research and by
denying NIH the funds it needs to capitalize on new advances."

-Washington Post, November 21, 2007

ENGLAND: CAUTION REQUIRED
"Experts stressed more safety work was needed. (citing) potential to cause
dangerous side effects.. Retroviruses, (used to) insert therapeutic genes
into the DNA of these cells.have the ability to make random changes to DNA
elsewhere in the body, which could lead to complications, such as cancer.

(note: in one experiment, roughly 20% of the lab mice died of cancer-dr)

"Retroviruses can disrupt genes that should not be disrupted or activate
genes that should not be activated", Professor Azim Surani of University of
Cambridge said: "in addition to safety concerns, we have to be cautious
about extrapolating from mosue studies to humans.  The mouse iPS cells are
not identical to human iPS cells. We need more research."

-BBC, MMVII, 12/07/07
HOCHEDLINGER AND HARVARD
"We know little about how to direct an embryonic-like stem cell into.the
tissues they need, such as a pancreas cell instead of a nerve cell."

--Konrad Hochedlinger, Ph.D, assistant Professor, Harvard Stem Cell
Institute

DOESN'T SHOW WHICH IS BETTER
"The latest research doesn't show which is better, so it would be foolish to
abandon SCNT-derived embryonic stem cells," says Robin Lovell-Badge, of he
National Institute for Medical Research in London.

--New Scientist.com news service, 12/06/07

".ONLY POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAD EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS TO WORK WITH."

"(Dr. Rudy) Jaenisch said the success with iPS cells does not mean that
research on human embryonic stem cells should be dropped, as some opponents
of the work have asserted.

"All the progress in this field was only possible because we had embryonic
stem cells to work with.," Jaenisch said,  "We need to make more embryonic
cells and really define which are going to be the best ones for different
applications."

--Washington Post, 12/07/07

DON'T THROW OUT THE TOOLBOX
In 2008, if all goes well, an embryonic stem cell therapy will go to human
trials, offering hope to newly paralyzed patients.

The work of Dr. Hans Keirstead, originally funded by California's Roman Reed
Spinal Cord Injury Research Act, will become the world's first embryonic
stem cell therapy.

The late paralyzed Superman, Christopher Reeve, would have been so proud.

Yes, the new research tool is exciting news for patients and parents,
scientists and doctors alike. We all wish the best for iPS research-that it
may ease suffering, and save lives.

But we in the patient advocacy community support full stem cell research:
adult, embryonic, iSP and nuclear transfer procedures-and none to the
exclusion of the others.
However valuable any new tool may be, we must never throw out the toolbox.

--Don C. Reed, co-chair, Californians for Cures, and father of Roman Reed

Open letter from Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research

December 7, 2007

Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Coalition for the Advancement of
Medical Research (CAMR). Our collective membership is comprised of the broad
and diverse community that supports the promise of embryonic stem cell
research and regenerative medicine to end disease and suffering.

Recent important discoveries in this field have reenergized the debate
regarding the continued need for full federal funding, especially for
embryonic stem cell research. We assert that these discoveries provide the
most compelling reason to date for the overturn of the presidential veto and
enactment of the widely supported Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

The similar studies of Drs. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin and
Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, published nearly simultaneously the
week of November 19, 2007, both offer a new approach for developing what
appear to be pluripotent cells. The cells are called "iPS," or
induced pluripotent stem cells. Because the studies use adult skin cells and
do not require a human egg or embryo, the discovery has been heralded as an
end to the federal stem cell debate.

While we join with the research and medical community in commending Drs.
Thomson and Yamanaka, we believe it is short sighted and misleading to claim
that their work obviates the need for further research.

Dr. Thomson recently asserted in a Washington Post editorial jointly
authored by Dr. Alan I. Leshner, CEO of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science, that it is more important than ever to provide
unrestricted federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

We are disappointed that what should be viewed as a hopeful step forward for
the over 100 million patients with incurable diseases and conditions is
being used as political tool to obstruct scientific progress. We urge you
and your colleagues to look beyond the ill-informed arguments that are
attempting to divert support for what scientists continue to hail as one of
the most promising avenues of biomedical research. On behalf of CAMR and our
entire membership, let me assure you that we are united both in our praise
to Drs. Thompson and Yamanaka for their incredible discovery and for our
continued support for federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. We
will continue to work to enact the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

Sincerely,

Sean Tipton, President

The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) is the nation's
leading bipartisan pro-cures coalition. CAMR is comprised of over 100
nationally recognized patient organizations, universities, scientific
societies, and foundations advocating for the advancement of breakthrough
research and technologies in regenerative medicine. CAMR's advocacy and
education outreach focuses on stem cell research, somatic cell nuclear
transfer, and related research fields in which the mission is to develop
treatments and cures for individuals with life-threatening illnesses and
disorders.

Don Reed
www.stemcellbattles.com

Don C. Reed is co-chair (with Karen Miner) of Californians for Cures, and
writes for their web blog, www.stemcellbattles.com. Reed was citizen-sponsor
for California's Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Act of 1999, named
after his paralyzed son; he worked as a grassroots advocate for California's
Senator Deborah Ortiz's three stem cell regulatory laws, served as an
executive board member for Proposition 71, the California Stem Cells for
Research and Cures Act, and is director of policy outreach for Americans for
Cures. The retired schoolteacher is the author of five books and thirty
magazine articles, and has received the National Press Award.

Rayilyn Brown
Board Member AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
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