Washington, DC-- The Coalition for the Advancement of
Medical Research (CAMR) today praised Senators Specter (R-PA),
Kennedy (D-MA), and Feinstein (D-CA) for introducing the
“Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2002.” The act bans human
reproductive cloning but allows somatic cell nuclear transfer
(SCNT), sometimes called “therapeutic cloning.” The group also
singled out Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for announcing his
support of the bill.
“We agree strongly with these Senators that human
reproductive cloning should be prohibited, but that SCNT be
pursued,” said Michael Manganiello, President of CAMR and
Senior Vice President of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis
Foundation. “Senator Hatch has once again stood up for
patients – patients living with life-threatening diseases like
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, diabetes, and MS. The
political courage he demonstrated today shows his strong
determination and commitment to bringing medical research
advances to the bedsides of the people who need it
most.”
SCNT may prove to be a vital tool in allowing
scientists to fully develop the promise of stem cell research.
CAMR is committed to ensuring that this potentially
life-saving research is allowed to move forward.
SCNT involves the use of a donor’s unfertilized egg and
a patient’s own cells. The research could allow a
patient’s own genetic material to be used to develop stem cell
therapies specifically tailored to that individual’s medical
condition, thus not triggering an immune rejection
response. In other words, using SCNT could repair
patients with their own cells.
Frank Coccozelli, co-founder of the Committee for the
Advancement of Stem Cell Research and wheelchair bound due to
a rare form of IBM muscular dystrophy added, “Senators
Specter, Feinstein, Kennedy and Hatch are true champions for
those of us awaiting a cure. I know that SCNT research
is not a guarantee, but a hope, and that is all the more
reason to not to ban the research.”
The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical
Research (CAMR), is comprised of nationally-recognized patient
organizations, universities, scientific societies,
foundations, and individuals with life-threatening illnesses
and disorders, advocating for the advancement of breakthrough
research and technologies in regenerative medicine - including
stem cell research and somatic cell nuclear transfer - in
order to cure disease and alleviate
suffering.