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Stem cell hope tempered by states T. Denny Sanford says S.D. law should change Jeff Martin . [log in to unmask] . April 26, 2009 From a Tea living room where a child copes with diabetes to the labs where scientists search for a cure, President Obama's order to lift funding restrictions on embryonic stem cell research is being met with new hope and optimism. The move, which allows federal funding to flow for embryonic stem cell research, could one day affect the work being done at Sanford Health in Sioux Falls. "Stem cell research that happens anywhere in the world can be of benefit to us," said Ben Perryman, vice president of research at Sanford. The health system's Sanford Project aims to research and cure Type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. The president's action has no immediate effect on research done in South Dakota because state law prohibits the use of embryonic stem cells in research. But the billionaire who donated $400 million to fuel Sanford's research and health care efforts, wants to change that. "I think South Dakota should move forward and vote in stem research, and remove the state ban," T. Denny Sanford said. "I think the ethical issues have been answered and that we should move forward," he said. Sanford added that he has a strong belief this will lead to scientific advancements not only in diabetes research, but "also for a significant number of diseases." Embryonic stem cell research remains a contentious topic in South Dakota. Those on the other side of the issue vow to work hard to defeat any attempt to remove the state's ban on such research. "It's a very important issue that strikes very close to who we are as human beings, how we live our lives and how we treat others," said Travis Benson, co-director of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls' Respect Life office. The church supports adult stem cell research, Benson said, but opposes embryonic stem cell research. Harvesting stem cells from an embryo kills the embryo "which is a human being in the very earliest stages of life," he said. Supporters of such research say that it can lead to life-saving cures, but Benson says "you should never do evil, even if you can accomplish good with it." Chris Hupke, president of the South Dakota Family Policy Council, said he thinks there might be a fight over the state's ban during the next Legislative session. "I absolutely think that there are very influential people in our state who would like to see that gone," said Hupke, whose organization wants the state ban to remain in place. President Obama's executive order, issued March 9, allows federal funding for research on hundreds of new embryonic stem cell lines. President Bush had limited federal funding to 21 already existing stem cell lines. Obama mentioned juvenile diabetes two weeks later, in explaining why he signed the order, according to a White House transcript of his comments. "What we have said is that for embryos that are typically about to be discarded, for us to be able to use those in order to find cures for Parkinson's or for Alzheimer's or, you know, all sorts of other debilitating diseases - juvenile diabetes - that it is the right thing to do," Obama said. This month, lawmakers in Oklahoma and Texas have tried to tighten state restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, partly as a result of the president's action. Oklahoma's legislature created a state ban, but Gov. Brad Henry this month vetoed it, saying the research was necessary to save lives. State laws on embryonic stem cell research vary widely across the country, from statutes in Iowa, Illinois and California that encourage such research to South Dakota's strict ban, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. South Dakota has one of the nation's strongest laws prohibiting embryonic stem cell research, Benson said. Jennifer Brown of Tea hopes Obama's move will help move stem cell research forward in this state as well. Her son Colin, 11, learned six year ago he has juvenile diabetes. "I think it would save so many lives," she said. When Colin was in kindergarten, shortly after being diagnosed with the disease, "one of the doctors told me by the time Colin is 18, there's going to be a cure, so I've always held on to that," Brown said. "I think that definitely gave us hope, and hope is something that we all need." Sara Weber's son Drew, 2, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when he was 17 months old. "If there's something that could bring a cure to a disease that's extremely life-altering, I would be supportive of it," said Weber of Sioux Falls. John Gearhart led a team that first identified and isolated human embryonic stem cells. The discovery "has profound implications for drug development and transplant therapy and raises the possibility of growing human tissues in the laboratory to replenish failing organs," according to his biography from the American Academy of Achievement. Gearhart said in an interview this week that President Obama's move will help to encourage partnerships among researchers around the globe. "We were really hindered from collaborating with other investigators not only in this country, but around the world," said Gearhart, who is the director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "Now we can collaborate with scientists around the world." Exactly how Sanford's researchers in Sioux Falls might collaborate with scientists elsewhere will depend on how the Sanford Project proceeds in coming years, said Dr. Fred Levine, director of the Sanford Children's Health Research Center at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research near San Diego. Sanford and the Burnham Institute have partnered as part of the health system's goal of establishing a world-class pediatric research network. But Levine could imagine some scenarios in which the new rules for embryonic stem cell research could affect work in Sioux Falls. For instance: It's possible that a researcher outside South Dakota could use embryonic stem cells to study the development of drugs for juvenile diabetes, and "the drugs might go back to Sioux Falls for testing." Levine said the new federal guidelines eliminate an "enormous bureaucratic problem" which required strict separation of federally funded projects from those paid for with private money. Many scientists had to maintain duplicate sets of equipment - one for federally funded research and another for privately funded work, he said. "There were people who were doing color coding - they would put pieces of blue tape or red tape on equipment that could be used for this or that," Levine said. There are also "quite major" intangible benefits which will come with the new guidelines, said Dr. Jonathan Slack, director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota. "I think the president sent a signal saying he is in favor of modern life science research," Slack says. "I think people in foreign countries who felt the USA was not supportive of stem cell research in general now feel the USA is a friendly environment for stem cell research." Dr. David Pearce, who was introduced Friday as the new director of the Sanford Children's Health Research Center in Sioux Falls, said the change brings new opportunities for experiments which could one day lead to significant discoveries. Yet much works lies ahead, he said. "We hear about stem cells being the answer to so many diseases, but there's still so many questions that we need to answer," he said. Local News Editor Jeff Martin can be reached at 605-331-2373. 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