American Diabetes Association Praises Senate's Stamp of Approval for Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Which Could Help Cure Diabete
Posted Dec 18 2008 8:10pm
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is getting more active in the debate over controversial stem cell research, which fans hail as potentially pivotal in coming up with cures for diabetes and other diseases.
The organization applauded the U.S. Senate's passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act" (S.5) last week, which would ease funding restrictions and support research using embryonic stem cells while maintaining strict ethical guidelines.
In hailing the Senate's decision, the ADA's chair of the board, Darlene Cain, lamented that "our nation's leading respected scientists and researchers have been held back ... for five long years by federal stem cell restrictions that have prevented them from making significant advances toward a cure for diabetes and other chronic debilitating diseases."
Passage of the legislation could "bring us one step closer to unlocking resources that could lead to major discoveries in our fight against this disease," Cain maintained, noting bothpatients with type 1 diabetes who rely on insulin to survive and the nearly 21 million people with type 2 diabetes could potentially benefit from new treatments.
If you've been following the news, you'll know that President Bush has now promised to veto the bill, and the ADA is now urging for bipartisan support from members of the Senate and House to override this veto.
In case you've been hiding out under a rock, here's a quick primer on the much-debated stem cell research.
As the National Institutes of Health explains it, "embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos. Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro —in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors."
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is getting more active in the debate over controversial stem cell research, which fans hail as potentially pivotal in coming up with cures for diabetes and other diseases.
The organization applauded the U.S. Senate's passage of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act" (S.5) last week, which would ease funding restrictions and support research using embryonic stem cells while maintaining strict ethical guidelines.
In hailing the Senate's decision, the ADA's chair of the board, Darlene Cain, lamented that "our nation's leading respected scientists and researchers have been held back ... for five long years by federal stem cell restrictions that have prevented them from making significant advances toward a cure for diabetes and other chronic debilitating diseases."
Passage of the legislation could "bring us one step closer to unlocking resources that could lead to major discoveries in our fight against this disease," Cain maintained, noting bothpatients with type 1 diabetes who rely on insulin to survive and the nearly 21 million people with type 2 diabetes could potentially benefit from new treatments.
If you've been following the news, you'll know that President Bush has now promised to veto the bill, and the ADA is now urging for bipartisan support from members of the Senate and House to override this veto.
In case you've been hiding out under a rock, here's a quick primer on the much-debated stem cell research.
As the National Institutes of Health explains it, "embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from embryos. Specifically, embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized in vitro —in an in vitro fertilization clinic—and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors."