Stem Cell Reauthorization Bill Will Bring Hope, Healing To Patients Needing Bone Marrow, Cord Blood Transplants

Press Release

Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), John Ensign (R-Nev.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) have introduced legislation to reauthorize a law that has brought "hope and healing" to thousands of patients suffering from diseases requiring bone marrow and cord blood transplants.

The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010, which was introduced late Thursday, reauthorizes the original 2005 act and extends funding for the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation and National Cord Blood Inventory (NCBI) programs for another five years through 2015.

Sen. Hatch said: "This bill will ensure that medical advances involving bone marrow and cord blood transplants will continue. It will literally bring hope and healing to thousands of Americans suffering from disease such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia and Hodgkin's Disease, just to name a few. Patients in need of these transplants deserve nothing less, and this legislation will bring more access to these life-saving treatments."

Sen. Dodd said: "Cord blood stem cells and bone marrow can help save lives while easing the suffering and pain of thousands of brave individuals battling debilitating diseases," said Dodd. "This important legislation would increase physicians' access to powerful live-saving therapies that can treat and, in some instances, cure these all too prevalent diseases, improving the lives of tens of thousands of patients and their families. We must do all we can to advance and raise awareness of public cord blood and bone marrow donation and collection."

Sen. Reed said: "This bill builds upon the highly successful National Marrow Donor Program that has been a life line for thousands of transplant patients for over the last several decades," said U.S. Senator Jack Reed. "We are taking a critical step forward in expanding access to lifesaving therapies to millions of patients with conditions that can be treated and even cured with bone marrow or cord blood."

Sen. Ensign said: "We need to find a way to expand our research of adult stem cells and ways to utilize these promising methods to treat disease," said Ensign. "Cord blood stem cells are already successfully treating patients. Our legislation will reauthorize funding to continue Federal support for cord blood and bone marrow donation and collection and will make a profound difference in the lives of thousands of patients."

Sen. Burr said: "I am proud to support this life-saving legislation to renew and strengthen our commitment to the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program and the National Cord Blood Inventory and the patients and families it serves," said Senator Richard Burr. "Although we have made important strides in collecting cord blood for transplantation in recent years, we must build on these efforts if we are going to be able to meet the needs of all patients in need of a cord blood or bone marrow transplant. I am particularly proud of the groundbreaking cord blood research in North Carolina under the leadership of Dr. Kurtzberg. This critical research is saving lives and bringing new hope to families in our state and across the nation."

Sen. Franken said: "Bone marrow and cord blood stem cell transplants bring life to thousands of Americans with devastating diseases like leukemia and lymphoma, among others. Since its inception, the National Bone Marrow Donor Program has provided more than 35,000 transplants to these patients and I'm proud that it is based in Minnesota. This bill will ensure that the program remains strong so children and adults can access these lifesaving therapies when they need them most."

The legislation would reauthorize a combined $53 million in funding for the two programs in each of the five years. It would further require:

* Qualified cord blood banks to develop an annual plan and demonstrate ongoing progress toward achieving self-sufficiency.

* Cord blood banks to provide a plan on how to increase cord blood collection and help establish or contract with new collection sites.

* The collection and maintenance of at least 150,000 new units of high-quality cord blood for transplantation through the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program.

* Further studies and demonstration projects to explore increasing cord blood donation and collection from a genetically diverse population.

* The extension of privacy protections included in the original statue for cord blood transplant patients and donors to bone marrow transplant patients and donors.

* The General Accountability Office to conduct a study on cord blood donation and collection for submission to the appropriate House and Senate committees within one year of the bill's enactment.