CALIFORNIA: Stem-Cell Laws Put State In Vanguard

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Stem-Cell Laws Put State In Vanguard

By Terri Somers
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

September 25, 2003

California moved toward cementing its role as the national hub for stem-cell 
research yesterday with the signing of new
laws establishing a registry of embryos donated for research and directing the 
Department of Health Services to
establish guidelines for scientists.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento, and supported 
by the state's biotechnology industry and
patient advocate groups, builds on a law signed a year and a day ago by Gov. 
Gray Davis, establishing California as a
state that supports all types of stem-cell research. That law attracted 
internationally recognized scientists such as
Dr. Evan Snyder, who relocated from Harvard University to La Jolla's Burnham 
Institute.

"The symbolic message (the legislation) sent was so exciting that it drew me 
and other scientists, foundation members
and biotech companies to come and view California as probably the hub of 
stem-cell research in the country," Snyder
said at a news conference yesterday with other proponents of the laws.

Although 11 other states now are trying to follow California's lead with their 
own legislation, the new laws fly in the
face of a 2001 presidential order setting limits on stem-cell research, as well 
as attempts to ban the research by
Congress and an increasing number of states.

"Is California trying to set itself as a model for the rest of the country? 
Absolutely," said Larry Goldstein, a
professor and stem-cell researcher at the University of California San Diego. 
"It's an area of research that shows
great promise . . . but we want to be sure we proceed appropriately, in a 
socially sensitive way, and not do things
that would generally be regarded as unethical."

Embryonic stem cells have the potential to develop into any cell in the body, 
leading scientists to believe they hold
the promise of treatments for a bevy of illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, 
diabetes, and Alzheimer's and Lou
Gehrig's diseases.

"This represents an entirely new way of viewing disease," Snyder said. "It's 
one that approaches treating or curing the
disease by trying to redevelop the organ that was damaged and get it right this 
time."

However, stem cells are controversial because obtaining them involves 
destroying a human embryo to extract them. Some
opponents of the research deem it tantamount to taking a life; others say it 
opens the door to cloning humans.

In August 2001, President Bush restricted federally funded research to a set 
number of stem-cell lines. Researchers say
only 11 of those lines are viable and accessible. Proposed federal legislation 
that would severely limit or ban the
research and override any state laws stalled in the Senate.

One of the new California laws addresses embryos, collected through fertility 
processes, that couples or individuals
may decide they no longer intend to use. This law instructs clinicians to 
inform patients that rather than have the
embryos destroyed, they can donate them anonymously to research and have them 
added to a state registry.

The second law instructs the state Department of Health Services to develop 
stem-cell research guidelines by Jan. 1,
2005. It assigns the task to a 13-member advisory committee that the department 
is to form with scientists, ethicists,
legal experts and representatives of religious groups.

All research projects with embryonic stem cells are to be reviewed and approved 
by institutional review boards.

With this legislation, California will lead the nation through example, 
"showing this can be done in a responsible
manner that allows oversight and the input of others beyond the scientific 
community," said Joe Panetta, chief
executive of Biocom, the San Diego biotechnology industry organization.

However, Snyder said the nascent science is hindered by a lack of federal 
funding as a result of the president's
restrictions.

To expect scientists to use the stem-cell lines designated by Bush in 2001, he 
said, is like "buying a computer then
and expecting it to last you to 2010. It's as if you wanted to fight a war but 
were only allowed to use World War II
weaponry."

It also has a chilling effect on the future of the research, Goldstein said. 
"What young scientist would want to devote
his career to an area fraught with such political pressure?" he asked.

Legislation Ortiz wrote to establish a funding mechanism to support her other 
stem-cell research bills stalled in
committee because of the state's budget woes.

Some researchers, including UCSD's Goldstein, said money from private 
philanthropic groups helps support research in
spite of the lack of federal funds. But Snyder said the best way to guarantee 
that the emerging scientific knowledge is
made available to the largest number of researchers would be through government 
funding.

Even though many foundations are intent on getting data, cell lines and 
information out there, research done by private
enterprise brings with it intellectual-property issues, he said. That prevents 
knowledge from being disseminated as
quickly as it otherwise might be.

"The best way to help the greatest number of Americans is through federal 
funding," he said. "In lieu of that, we need
state government funding to support this research.

"If allowed to develop, because biomed is so strong, (California) could be the 
hub of stem-cell research in the world.
But right now, we could be outflanked by other countries where good scientists 
can work without restrictions."

Terri Somers: (619) 293-2028; terri.somers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

SOURCE: San Diego Union Tribune, CA


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