Stem cell research may be closer to being secured and legalized in Illinois as a committee in the state legislature discusses codifying guidelines for therapeutic stem cell research this week.
A bill introduced by State Sen. Jeff Schoenberg, D-Evanston, could legalize the research for gene therapy while prohibiting human cloning.
As the legislature debates the bill, many anti-abortion groups have been fighting for to ban stem-cell use. Laws passed on stem cell research will affect Northwestern scientists who wish to remain competitive by continuing research.
“Having state legislation … that would be negative for stem cell research would be a chilling signal (to researchers),” said Prof. John Kessler, chairman of the neurology department at NU’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “Conversely, having state legislation in support of stem cell research might send a positive signal to people who do research in this field who might hesitate about moving to the Midwest.”
Schoenberg is trying to add an amendment to the bill that would make human cloning illegal. The amendment would strike a compromise with the previous bill’s legalization of cloning — an issue that has held back the legislation, said Mollie Hertel, Schoenberg’s legislative aide.
No laws regulate stem cell research on the federal level. However, several states have taken action to prohibit research in the field.
Illinois’ legislature has grappled with the stem cell research issue for a long time. Passing Schoenberg’s bill would place Illinois in the company of stem cell research supporters, such as California, that have cast themselves as leaders in the field. Other states, such as Iowa, have banned the research.
If the Illinois legislature adopts supportive stem cell measures it might avoid a brain-drain of researchers in the field that has plagued Iowa.
“This particular bill is literally a proclamation and endorsement of stem cell research in the state of Illinois,” said pediatrics Prof. Mary Hendrix, a national leader in the field of stem cell research and scientific director of the Children’s Memorial Institute for Education and Research.
The bill also would give couples using in vitro fertilization a chance to donate their excess embryos for stem cell research, Hertel said. Researchers rely on these embryos that would be otherwise discarded.
Opponents of stem cell research condemn researchers’ use of embryos. Richard Doerflinger, deputy director of the Catholic Church’s Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and a leading stem cell research opponent, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Kessler said while he does not see any anti-stem cell legislation close to passing, he acknowledges it is a possibility.
Stem cells have enormous potential to treat many common illnesses, including Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, diabetes and heart attack, Hendrix said.
“It is a cell with unlimited capacity to renew itself,” Hendrix said.
NU researches are working on many different applications for stem cells including looking at models of spinal cord injuries and strokes, Kessler said. Dermatology researchers are also working with skin cells to help promote healing.
