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Ensign Attends White House Ceremony, Apllauds Signing of Cord Blood Bill
States News Service
20 December 2005
The following information was released by U.S. Senator John Ensign, Nevada:
Senator John Ensign attended a White House bill-signing ceremony today and applauded the signing of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005. The bill continues federal support for bone marrow and umbilical cord blood research as part of the effort to find cures or improved treatments for diseases including Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease.
Cord blood and bone marrow research holds enormous potential for advancements in science that can save and improve lives, Ensign said. We have a duty to those suffering from life-altering and life-threatening diseases to pursue this important line of medical research.
The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act enhances the work of the National Marrow Donor Program and focuses on umbilical cord blood stem cells, which are routinely discarded. A goal of the bill is to establish an inventory of 150,000 high-quality cord blood units so patients seeking a transplant will have a better chance of finding a match.
From Parkinson's and heart disease to leukemia, diabetes and spinal cord injuries, the number of afflicted patients who could potentially be saved by cord blood research is immense and we must encourage this effective research, Ensign said. I'm very proud to have helped craft this bill and to be present at the White House when it was signed into law.
In the past year, of the approximately 11,500 patients seeking blood or marrow stem cells from donors to whom they were not related, only about 2,500 successfully obtained a transplant.
01/05/06 06:20:06
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