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This is from the transcrpt of the 2004 Congressional hearing held by sen. Brownback on stem cell research. Dr. Levesque who performed the autogolous adult stem cell transfer on Dennis Turner was questioned at the end of the meeting by Sen. Ron Wyden about embryonic stem cell research and the need to change federal policy .... FDCH Political Transcripts July 14, 2004 Wednesday TYPE: COMMITTEE HEARING COMMITTEE: SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SPACE SUBCOMMITTEE SUBCOMMITTEE: SENATE COMMERCE WYDEN: Dr. Levesque, I want to ask you, though, a question with respect to Parkinson's and this whole matter of embryonic stem cells being used in research. When I asked you earlier about the comparison of adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells, you said -- and I appreciate your candor -- that you had not done work with respect to embryonic stem cells, and that to me was important. It may not be important to others, but that was important to me in terms of the comparison and particularly given the fact that you'd been pretty critical in your testimony of embryonic stem cell research. My question to you is, a lot of advocates for cures to Parkinson's, a lot of the organizations, would like to see embryonic stem cells used to help pursue cures in this area, at least that is my understanding. Given that, do you at any point plan to try, even for the purpose of comparison, since you are making these statements about adult stem cell lines versus embryonic stem cells, do you at any point plan to even try to have some patients assisted with embryonic stem cells so that at least you could back up the kind of statement you made in your testimony today? LEVESQUE: All right. Let me comment to the first statement. My testimony is critical from our aspect of the perception and benefit of cell therapy in general. Not only embryonic, but also adult. We have to understand where this type of therapy is in relation with other type of therapy that I've mentioned that in my testimony as well. And as I mentioned, other avenues are potentially viable and successful beyond the cell therapy. So I was critical of not only this type of embryonic cell therapy, there are things that we don't know. There is a lot of noise and push to move on to embryonic stem cell therapy, but it is unknown what are the safety issues and benefit issues using the stem cells, the embryonic stem cells. I agree, we need to do more research, we need to compare both types of cells, because the bottom line is that the embryonic stem cells will use the same pathways that the adult neural stem cell line will use to become differentiated neuron. So the embryonic stem cell can be used to become all kind of tissue, but you have to understand that the pathway to create the bottom neurons will be the same that we use for the adult neural stem cells. The risk and benefit of each of these types of therapies has to be evaluated. The approach I use has the benefit to be autologous, it's the same tissue than the patient, whereas the embryonic cells, these are cells derived from other patients, we don't know the risks of immune rejections using this tissue. From other type of research we know that there is an immune reactions when we implant cells or foreign tissue in the brain. So there are ways to evaluate and minimize these types of rejections. One company is encapsulating these cells with some type of a substance supposedly to minimize this immune reaction. Perhaps the nuclear cell transplant technology will also minimize the risk of rejection. We don't know. We need to do more research. WYDEN: Well, again, with all due respect, your testimony is quite critical of embryonic stem cell research and it is not critical of adult stem cell research. And the reason I asked you the question about whether at some point you would be willing to look at embryonic stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson's is I think that would certainly, in my own view as a legislator who spends a lot of time on science issues, that would be relevant to me. LEVESQUE: Well, I think, if I can interrupt, I think the current approved cell lines are inadequate to study these questions and obviously... WYDEN: Do you favor changing the federal government's policy? LEVESQUE: I think if the federal government... WYDEN: That's a yes or no question. LEVESQUE: Yes. WYDEN: Do you favor changing the administration policy on stem cell research? LEVESQUE: No. Don't change the policy. The policy is approving the cell. We have some cell lines that have been approved for research. However, these cell lines are inadequate. We need new cell lines. So yes, we need to add more cell lines to the current cell lines to answer these specific questions. WYDEN: Where would they come from? LEVESQUE: Well, these have to be obtained from embryonic IVF clinic, there are discarded tissue, or with the somatic nuclear transfer using an ovum from a donor. WYDEN: And you think all this can be done without changing federal law. LEVESQUE: We need to change the restriction on these cell lines, definitely. FAJT: I agree. WYDEN: All right. So, I think we're hearing something significant here. Dr. Levesque, you want to change federal policy on stem cell research. Susan, you want to change federal policy on stem cell research. Mr. Turner, do you think federal policy ought to be changed? Just based on what you know. TURNER: I would base my opinion on what Dr. Levesque said, because of his education. I am educated as a mechanical and electrical engineer, so I don't have the basis of the research to make that kind of decision. WYDEN: Extra points for candor. ...I am here because I want to change federal policy, because I think there can be a lot more people like these three wonderful witnesses that are at the table. And to do it, we've got to change federal policy to take the shackles off our scientists and let them do what they were trained to do, which is be scientific advocates. They weren't trained to do politics. They don't have election certificates. They were trained to be scientists. And the federal government has held them back, and it's wrong, and that is why I, and I think a lot of legislators of both political parties want to change it. Rees Jenkins <[log in to unmask]> wrote: Here's one thing I got from Googling "Dennis Turner" Parkinson's - Duke. The best that can be said about Turner's miracle treatment is that it's a one-time thing, and the connection between the adult stem cells and Turner's improvement is not known. If I had time, I would check (Google) Dr. Levesque. Why is he (for all I know) not pursuing the adult stem cell treatment. Sorry. I have a colonoscopy tomorrow morning, and I have to run! :) Rees ============= Given at a Science, Technology, and Space Hearing: Adult Stem Cell Research Wednesday, July 14 2004 - 2:30 PM - SR - 253 The Testimony of Dr. Dennis Turner , Thank you, Chairman Brownback, for your interest in Parkinson’s Disease, in my treatment by Dr. Levesque, and in my hopes and concerns for the future. For fourteen years I’ve had Parkinson’s Disease. This irreversible disease involves the slow destruction of specialized cells in the brain, called Dopamine Neurons. By early 1991 I suffered extreme shaking of the right side of my body, stiffness in my gait and movements. After some years of medication, I developed fluctuation and poor response to Sinemet. This made daily activities needing the coordinated use of both hands hard or impossible, such as putting in contact lenses. My disability prevented me from using my right arm. Other than my Parkinson’s symptoms I was physically very active and fit. Because of this Dr. Levesque felt that I’d be a good candidate for an experimental treatment. He explained that he would take a very small tissue sample from my brain, removing its adult neural stem cells. He would then multiply and mature these cells into Dopamine Neurons, then inject these cells back into the left side of my brain. He proposed treating only the left side because it controls the right side of the body, the side with the most severe Parkinson’s symptoms. Dr Levesque did not tell me that this treatment would permanently cure my condition. Science has yet to learn what causes Parkinson’s Disease, much less how to remove it. However, since this cell- replacement approach had never been tried in a human patient we hoped for the best. And since my only other realistic alternative was to continue growing worse until I eventually died, I decided to have the surgical procedures in 1999, one to remove the tissue and another to inject the cells. I was awake for both procedures, under local anesthesia. Soon after having the cells injected my Parkinson’s symptoms began to improve. My trembling grew less and less, until to all appearances it was gone, only slightly reappearing if I became upset. Dr. Levesque had me tested by a Neurologist, who said he wouldn’t have known I had Parkinson’s if he had met me on the street. I was once again able to use my right hand and arm normally, enjoying activities that I given up hope of ever doing. Since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease my condition had slowly, but continuously worsened. I can’t say with certainty what my condition would have become if Dr. Levesque had not used my own adult stem cells to treat me. But I have no doubt that because of this treatment I’ve enjoyed five years of quality life that I feared had passed me by. Last year, after four years of being virtually symptom free, my Parkinson’s symptoms began reappearing in my body’s left side. Today I have various degrees of trembling in both hands, although I feel that the left is slightly worse. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to have Dr. Levesque use my adult stem cells to treat me a second time, since in my case they were safe, effective, and involved no risk of rejection. Because of my improvements through Dr. Levesque’s treatment I’ve been able to indulge in my passion for big game photography these past five years. While on safari in 2001 I scrambled up a tree to avoid being run over by a Rhino. I swam in the South Atlantic with Great White Sharks. Two weeks ago I returned from Africa after photographing Cheetahs and Leopards in the wild. Here are a few examples of the pictures I took. They represent memories and experiences I feel I have Dr. Levesque to thank for. I came here to offer him my sincere gratitude, and to offer others with Parkinson’s a concrete reason for hope. This summarizes my history with Parkinson’s and the positive effects I experienced through a treatment that used my own adult stem cells. I’m very happy with its results and would dearly love to have a second treatment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn