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STEM CELL LEGISLATION
Stem Cell Legislation Moves Forward,
Halted By Presidential Veto
It was a week of rapid progress, tremendous
victory and frustrating obstacles for
legislation on embryonic stem cells. As promised
by Senate Majority Leader Frist, the
Senate began debate on three stem cell bills on
July 17th. In anticipation of the debate, FASEB
sent
letters to every member of the Senate,
urging them to vote for H.R. 810, the Stem Cell
Research Enhancement Act, in an effort to expand
the current federal funding restrictions on
human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research.
“There is a general consensus in the scientific
community that in order for the full therapeutic
potential of human embryonic stem cells to be
realized, more lines must be readily available
to researchers,” wrote FASEB President Leo
Furcht, M.D. “To millions of Americans suffering
from currently untreatable injuries or
conditions, whether spinal cord injuries or
neurodegenerative disorders, embryonic stem cell
research offers hope.” FASEB also activated
members of our e-Action list, encouraging them
to write to their Senators. In addition, FASEB
contacted President George W. Bush as the
Senate began the debate on the floor, imploring
him to withhold his promised veto of the
legislation.
On July 18th, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 810 by
a vote of 63-37, a number seen as significant by
many because it did not meet the 67 votes needed
to override a Presidential veto. In
thanking the Senate for passing the bill,
FASEB again urged President Bush to reconsider
his avowed veto. The two other stem cell bills
brought before the Senate passed unanimously.
This included a bill sponsored by Senator Sam
Brownback (R-KS), which would prohibit ‘fetal
farming’, as well as legislation from
Pennsylvania Republican Senators Rick Santorum
and Arlen Specter, encouraging NIH to explore
alternative ways to derive stem cells without
destroying a human embryo. Surprisingly, this
latter bill was defeated in the House, much to
the shock of House leadership who were so
confident it would pass that they prematurely
issued a statement touting the victory.
Champions of H.R. 810, led by Representatives
Mike Castle (R-DE) and Diana DeGette (D-CO),
fiercely attacked the Santorum-Specter bill,
labeling it as political cover for the President
and members of Congress trying to distract
attention from their opposition to H.R. 810. The
strategy worked, and the so-called
‘alternatives’ bill failed to meet the required
two-thirds majority needed to pass.
As expected, President Bush wasted no time in
vetoing H.R. 810, marking the first time in five
years in office that he had exercised such veto
authority. In a
statement in response to the President’s
act, Leo Furcht stated, “The President had the
opportunity to sign into law a bill that had
strong bipartisan support from both houses of
Congress and the overwhelming majority of
Americans. Instead, the hopes of many have been
cruelly dashed.”
The House of Representatives began debate on
overriding the veto almost immediately, late in
the afternoon of July 19th. FASEB responded
quickly, contacting every member of the House,
asking for an ‘Aye’ vote on the bill. FASEB
leadership and members of the e-Action list also
responded to FASEB’s call to action, sending
letters and making phone calls to their
Representatives. Unfortunately, the House was
unable to muster the two-thirds votes needed to
override the President’s veto, and the bill was
defeated by a vote of 235-193 (5 members did not
vote). Representatives Castle and DeGette have
vowed to continue trying to move this
legislation forward, but it seems unlikely to
progress in this Congress. While it is possible
to attach the bill to another legislative
vehicle in the House, the Senate has struck an
agreement, as part of the negotiations to bring
H.R. 810 to a vote, not to consider any more
stem cell related legislation or amendments for
the rest of the term.
FASEB President Testifies on Regulation of
hESC Research
While legislative activities on hESC research
were heating up, the regulatory environment was
also moving forward. The National Academies’
established a new committee to oversee and
update their Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem
Cell Research, as recommended in earlier
comments by FASEB. Leo Furcht was invited to
speak on behalf of FASEB to the committee at its
inaugural meeting and discussed the concerns
raised by FASEB’s Stem Cell Issues subcommittee
of the Science Policy Committee. These included
questions regarding the feasibility of informed
consent measures, potential impact of regulatory
burden, and scope of regulated experiments. Also
presented at the meeting were similar guidelines
created by the International Society for Stem
Cell Research (ISSCR). ISSCR has invited FASEB
to provide input on their guidelines and is also
seeking feedback from the scientific community
on their website at:
www.isscr.org
by September 1.
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OTHER LEGISLATION
FASEB Thanks Senator Burr for Leadership
in Biodefense
FASEB sent a
letter to Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
supporting his efforts to improve the nation’s
biodefense through introduction of S. 2564, the
Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug
Development Act. This bill replaces a previous
version, S. 1873, many of the provisions of
which caused
concern for FASEB and others in the
scientific community. Following several meetings
with FASEB staff and leadership, as well as
discussion with biodefense stakeholders, Senator
Burr withdrew the legislation and put forth the
updated version, which alleviated many of the
concerns.
Although this new bill would still create a
Biodefense Advanced Research and Development
Authority (BARDA) within the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS), the scope of
its work is more narrowly defined. FASEB
remained cautious in its endorsement of BARDA,
however. In a letter to Senator Burr, FASEB
President Leo Furcht urged against allowing the
new entity to adversely affect current research
programs, writing, “We strongly believe that the
best way to strengthen and prepare the United
States against outbreaks of disease, whether
emerging, naturally occurring, or introduced, is
through a robust and balanced portfolio of
biomedical research at NIH, including the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Disease (NIAID).” Moreover, FASEB continued to
voice concern over some of the information
protection provisions of the legislation, which
would give the Secretary of HHS authority to
withhold ‘sensitive’ information generated by
BARDA activities.
Still, FASEB expressed a great deal of gratitude
to Senator Burr and his staff for their
continued discussions to the scientific
community and their willingness to work together
to achieve legislation amenable to all
stakeholders, while satisfying the nation’s
biodefense needs. “The outreach efforts you have
made, and the subsequent development of the
legislation, have resulted in a vision for
biodefense that will substantially improve our
public health preparedness. The research
community spoke, you listened, and we want to
express our appreciation for your
consideration,” stated Furcht.
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CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS
FASEB Meets with House Majority Leader
John Boehner (R-OH)
On July 19, 2006, The Campaign for Medical
Research organized a visit with the House
Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) to thank him
for promising that an additional $7 billion
would be provided for important health and
education programs during the House budget
debate. Moreover, the group highlighted the
important health and economic benefits resulting
from supporting funding for medical research.
The following individuals attended, representing
a broad spectrum of scientists, industry and
voluntary health organizations: The Honorable
Bob Michel – Hogan & Hartson; The Honorable John
Porter – Research!America; The Honorable Paul
Rogers – Campaign for Medical Research; Nancy
Granese – Campaign for Medical Research; Jon
Retzlaff – FASEB; Wendy Selig – American Cancer
Society; Sue Nelson – American Heart
Association; Claudia Louis – American Heart
Association; Joseph F. Clark, Ph.D. – University
of Cincinnati; Pete Farnham – American Society
for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Joe
Carey – Society for Neuroscience; Janet Lambert
– Invitrogen.
Dr. Clark spoke about his own research
experiences including his decision to move to
Europe during the downturn in NIH funding during
the early 1990’s. Dr. Clark spent ten years
abroad conducting research, and returned to the
United States because of the commitment from
political leaders to double NIH’s budget. He
expressed concern that many will leave the field
during the current downturn in funding.
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FASEB NEWS
FASEB Receives Award from ORI, Welcomes
New President, President-Elect
FASEB has received a grant of more than $112,000
from the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) to
proactively address the issue of
conflict-of-interest management in biomedical
research. The grant, funded through a
collaborative program between ORI and the
Association of American Medical Colleges, is a
continuation of the work detailed in a
recently released report by FASEB, Shared
Responsibility, Individual Integrity: Scientists
Addressing Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical
Research. “There is a clear need for voluntary
standards for the conduct of academia-industry
interactions from the scientists’ perspective,”
according to Laura Brockway, Ph.D., senior
science policy analyst for FASEB and principal
on the award.
 Leo Furcht, M.D., who took office as the 91st
FASEB President on July 1st, 2006, chaired the
committee that developed the report. “We have
clearly entered a new era in which interactions
between academia and industry are being
accompanied by public concern and scrutiny,”
said Furcht. “FASEB has generated a set of
guiding principles for investigators to address
challenges as a result of financial
relationships with industry.”
Academic-industry interactions will be only one
set of issues among many that Furcht will be
addressing during his year long tenure as FASEB
President. “The current federal funding
situation and its effect on researchers, stem
cell research policies, reauthorization of NIH,
impact of regulatory burden – these are all
topics on which FASEB will remain engaged,” he
said. “FASEB plays a critical role in bringing
the perspective of the working scientist to
Congress and the public, and I look forward to
continuing to be a part of that.” The report was
released at an event at the National Press Club
on July 14th, resulting in coverage by Science,
Nature, C&E News, The Scientist, and other media
organizations throughout the country.
Furcht is currently Allen-Pardee Professor of
Cancer Biology at the University of Minnesota
and head of the Department of Laboratory
Medicine and Pathology. Dr. Furcht’s research
interests include cell adhesion molecules and
tumor metastasis. Previously, he served as Vice
Provost/Vice President for Research, Academic
Health Center, University of Minnesota (Health
Science Schools). Dr. Furcht received his B.S.
from Columbia University and his M.D. from SUNY
Upstate Medical Center, followed by a residency
at the University of Minnesota. In addition, he
is chairman of the Board of Directors,
University of Minnesota Physicians.
FASEB also congratulates Robert E. Palazzo,
Ph.D., who was voted FASEB President-Elect. Dr.
Palazzo is director of the Center for
Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and
Acting Provost at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute.
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CONGRESSIONAL SCHEDULE
The House and Senate are in session. The House
adjourns for its summer recess on July 28, 2006.
The Senate adjourns for its summer recess on
August 4, 2006.
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