Jim Langevin: “Mr. Chairman, as we discuss the fine work that our doctors and scientists are performing with the help of Federal…”

“Mr. Chairman, as we discuss the fine work that our doctors and scientists are performing with the help of Federal assistance, I want to make sure that my colleagues are aware of the limitations on critical research that are currently in place. These restrictions, the current regulations that guide the National Institutes of Health, are stifling progress into curing chronic conditions and diseases that affect up to 100 million Americans, a number that dramatically increases when you consider their families and loved ones. Unfortunately, rather than overturning these limitations, the committee report to today's Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill instead reaffirms them. For 3 years, the tremendously promising field of human embryonic stem cell research has been restricted to work on stem cell lines developed before August 9, 2001. Despite the limitations of this policy, our Nation's scientists have made tremendous progress. They have already shown that they can direct the development of human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells that might help cure juvenile diabetes. This type of research holds promise of new therapies, even cures, for countless conditions and diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS, heart disease, spinal cord injury and cancer.”