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Excellent job, Wilson!! I especially like the last paragraph. thanks for sharing! Ray Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------------------- From: "Wilson DeCamp" <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2009 2:40 PM To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: comment on NIH draft guideline > I sent the following comment to NIH (slightly revised from Amy Rick): > > Embryonic stem cell research holds great promise for millions of Americans > suffering from many diseases and disorders. As an individual who has been > diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, I have been following progress in this > field with great interest. Significant strides have been made over the > past > decade, and the final guidelines issued by NIH must build on this > progress > so that cures and new therapies can get to patients as quickly as > possible. > The final guidelines should not create new bureaucratic hurdles that will > slow the pace of progress. > I am pleased that these draft guidelines -- in Section II.B -- appear to > permit federal funding of stem cell lines previously not eligible for > federal > funding and for new lines created in the future from surplus embryos at > fertility clinics. However, as drafted, Section II.B does not ensure that > any > current stem cell line will meet the criteria outlined and thus be > eligible for federal funding. In particular, Section II.B(5) appears to > create a > cumbersome and duplicative consent process to establish the eligibility > of a > specific donation of human embryonic stem cells for use in research. > It will be important for the final guidelines to allow federal funds for > research using all stem cell lines created by following ethical practices > at > the time they were derived. This will ensure that the final guidelines > build on progress that has already been made. I also believe that the > final > guidelines should permit federal funding for stem cell lines derived from > sources other than excess IVF embryos, such as somatic cell nuclear > transfer > (SCNT). Sections II B and IV of the draft guidelines do not permit such > federal funding. Therefore, I recommend that the final guidelines provide > federal funding using stem cell lines derived in other ways. If not, it > is > essential that the NIH continue to monitor developments in this exciting > research > area and to update these guidelines as the research progresses. > Finally, I urge you to reject those public comments that give greater > weight to the potential of an embryo to develop into an adult human than > to the > needs of an existing adult human for access to needed cures for an > existing > disease. Such comments are anti-science in their essence, and degrade the > value of every living person. > Wilson DeCamp > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn