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Thanks to Greg for posting Jim Cordy's eloquent Senate testimony in support of stem cell research. Jim was known as "The General" for his role in leading grassroots advocates, many of them members of the Parkinsn list, in the campaign to pass the Udall Bill. It is sure good to read his words again. At the same hearing Appropriations - Labor HHS subcommittee hearing 4 others testified - including NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni, who basically spoke in defense of the Bush administration's limiting federal funding of stem cell research to lines created before Aug. 2001 (currently only 11 are available), for the "basic research" now being done at the NIH. Other scientists expressed differingg viewpoints... Dr. Roy Ogle, a developmental biologist and professor of Neurosurgery and Cell Biology at the University of Virginia Medical School, called for: "... providing both increased funding and many more cell lines for human ES cell research as soon as possible is critical to the future of healthcare, science, education and the biotechnology industry in the United States. It is hoped that the federal government will be involved in contracting and establishing standards for the process of isolating and distributing additional ES lines. There are reported to be many human embryos in the United States, which are frozen and would be donated for research purposes if allowed or otherwise destroyed. While ethical debates continue on creation of embryos for research, can we not make use of those no longer needed for reproduction? " Dr. John Kessler, Department of Neurology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. stated: " I am also the father of a 17 year old daughter, Allison who two years ago suffered a spinal cord injury that confined her to a wheelchair. I therefore speak to you both as a scientist and as a representative of the many American families who wish to see stem cell therapies reach their full potential. Although the potential for using human embryonic stem cells for regeneration of damaged or diseased organs is truly remarkable, it is clear that there are still significant technical and biological issues to be addressed before embryonic stem cell therapies can be instituted. Obstacles that delay the development of stem cell therapies are counterproductive for all Americans. Federally funded research is currently restricted to the study of an extremely small number of human embryonic stem cell lines, and this research may not involve the derivation or study of new lines. This policy is hindering the work of stem cell researchers, and these restrictions will become progressively more damaging to the field with the passage of time. ..." Their full testimonies are at: http://www.senate.gov/~appropriations/subcommittees/labor/topics.cfm?code =labor ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn