 |
 |
Mass. Legislators Back Work On Embryonic Stem Cells House and Senate leaders respond to Calif. initiative By Ross Kerber, Globe Staff - November 11, 2004 Legislative leaders voiced new backing for embryonic stem-cell research yesterday, speaking out after Californians voted to spend $3 billion to lure the companies and scientists engaged in the much- debated research. Their opinions set the tone for the legislative session to begin in January and will please some smaller biotechnology companies whose trade group has not made the issue a top priority to date. New House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi said in a statement released yesterday that ''I support embryonic stem-cell research with proper ethical safeguards," the first time he has addressed the issue since taking the leadership post in September. His predecessor, former House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, had been the biggest factor in blocking such legislation in the past. Separately, Senate President Robert E. Travaglini plans to reintroduce measures in support of embryonic stem-cell research, said spokeswoman Ann Dufresne yesterday. Tax credits and other incentives are being considered to attract the companies and science organizations, she said. ''At the very least it will be legislation that shows the Massachusetts biotech community that the state unambiguously supports this kind of research," she said. Embryonic stem cells can create any type of human tissue and seem to offer great promise for fighting degenerative diseases including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and spinal cord injuries. They are created by destroying a human embryo, making their use strongly opposed by many anti-abortion groups. After the Bush administration limited federal research funds in the area three years ago, states rushed to adopt their own policies to attract the academic scientists and companies engaged in the research. Last week California voters approved the ballot initiative that would provide money to biotech companies or laboratories located; earlier this year New Jersey also allocated millions of dollars. Last year Travaglini proposed language to declare the state's support for the research, but included no public funds. The Senate passed the measure, which died in the House. Since then, the California ballot initiative has created concern that Massachusetts should respond in kind. Dufresne wouldn't go into detail about whether Travaglini wanted the state to spend money on stem-cell research following the California initiative, except to say: ''We're weighing potential options for making last year's proposal a little more substantial." Yesterday officials in Governor Mitt Romney's administration said they wouldn't comment on the issue until they can review specific pieces of legislation. A spokeswoman said Romney supports stem-cell research in general but wouldn't say if that included work on embryonic stem cells. A spokeswoman for DiMasi, Kimberly Haberlin, said it was too soon to discuss what legislation the speaker might back or whether he would seek state funding. In his statement DiMasi said he supported the research ''because of its enormous potential to advance treatments for a range of diseases," and that he would explore whether there are legal obstacles. Removing those obstacles was one purpose of a bill introduced last year by Peter J. Koutoujian, a state representative from Waltham. He said he expects similar legislation to pass this year, given DiMasi's statement, and plans to reintroduce his bill. Koutoujian added he doesn't expect to seek funding because of an expected $1 billion deficit in the next budget. ''I don't know that this is the time to put out the money, but we should be embracing the research," he said. Finneran, the previous speaker, is now president of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a Cambridge trade group that represents biotech companies and large drug makers. In recent interviews he said he was skeptical of the need for stem-cell legislation until more information was gathered, echoing word from others involved in the group who said it wasn't tops on its agenda. The Boston Herald yesterday reported Finneran wants state lawmakers to pass legislation supporting research on embryonic stem cells. In a voice-mail message yesterday Finneran called parts of the report inaccurate and said ''the notion that somehow or other Massachusetts . . . now feels obliged to compete with California . . . is premature to say the least." Finneran and a council spokeswoman didn't return messages left to request a response on the legislative agenda. The spokeswoman previously noted that just two small companies in the state work directly in areas affected by the embryonic stem-cell issues, ViaCell Inc. in Cambridge and Advanced Cell Technology Inc. in Worcester. But executives at other companies say they want a change too. Walter C. Ogier, chief executive of Genetix Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Cambridge, a developer of gene therapies, said: ''Biotechnology is one of the bright areas of business in the state and needs to be competitive with other regions." Ross Kerber can be reached at [log in to unmask] SOURCE: Boston.com, MA http://tinyurl.com/4pomf * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> Please place this address in your address book Please purge all others Web site: Parkinsons Resources on the WWWeb http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn