March  2003 3 as possible. Contact information for your senators is easily found by entering your zip code into the website, www.congress.org/ congressorg/home/. Larry Goldstein, Vice-Chair of the ASCB Public Policy Committee, points out that the success of your communication depends on your effectiveness in making the distinction between human cloning and SCNT, and in your providing tangible examples of how SCNT can lead to the prevention and treat- ment of human disease. The National Academy of Sciences has a wonderful summary that may help you in drafting your letter. “Scientists hope that by growing stem cells in laboratories they can generate specific tissues, such as heart, lung, or kidney tissue, which could then help re- pair damaged and diseased organs or pro- vide alternatives to organ transplants. Many of the illnesses cited as potential targets of stem cell therapy — such as diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson’s disease — have few or no treatment options, so millions of Americans are looking for cures. The ability to take tissue derived from stem cells and transplant it into the human body to restore lost function may be a long way off, but  some  studies  involving  animals  have been  encouraging.  For  example,  trans- planted embryonic stem cells from mice have restored some insulin regulation abil- ity in mice with diabetes, relieved symp- toms of Parkinson’s disease in rodents, and partially restored neural function in ani- mals with spinal cord injuries. “Whenever tissue transplantation takes place, there is a risk that the body’s immune system will reject the new biological mate- rial. So scientists are starting to investigate whether  a  technique  called  somatic  cell nuclear transfer can be used to create stem cells that are a genetic match to a patient. This practice, also known as ‘therapeutic cloning,’ is done by removing the nucleus of an egg cell, inserting genetic material from the trans- plant recipient, and triggering cell division. Research on this and other approaches that may prevent rejection should be actively pur- sued. Since there is no intention of ever im- planting the resulting embryo to produce a child, this approach should not be confused with reproductive cloning.” In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that SCNT technology could help over 100 million pa- tients who suffer from cardiovas- cular disease (58 million), au- toimmune disease (30 million), diabetes (16 million), osteoporo- sis (10 million), cancer (8.2 mil- lion), Alzheimer’s disease (5.5 million),  Parkinson’s  disease (5.5 million), severe burns (0.3 million), spinal-cord injuries (0.25 million) and birth defects (0.15 million/year). You have been called upon in the past to contact your representatives in support of increased funding for NIH and  NSF  and  many  of  you have come through. It seems even more critical to be sure that the Senate acts to support basic SCNT research and not penalize  this  important  av- enue for future discovery. The Senate is our last chance. If each of us writes to our Sena- tors, it could make all the difference.   n [T]he success of your com- munication  depends  on your effectiveness in mak- ing the distinction between human cloning and SCNT. The  Senate  is  our  last chance. If each of us writes to  our  Senators,  it  could make all the difference.