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Contact: Media Relations Officer, (202) 828-0975
AAMC Urges Congress to Work With NIH to Advance Stem Cell Research
Washington, D.C., - February 22, 1999 - The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) urges Members of Congress to work with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to ensure that stem cell research continues to progress with the appropriate federal oversight and support. AAMC expressed its views, along with 70 other health organizations, in a recent letter to Congress. In the letter, the organizations also affirm their backing of the Department of Health and Human Services' legal determination in January that federal funds may be used for stem cell research.
"The federal government has an important role in funding and overseeing the conduct of [stem cell] research so that the talent and creativity of the nation's scientists — both privately and federally funded — can be applied to this valuable line of research," the letter states. "We concur with the National Institutes of Health's plans to move forward to develop clear guidelines to address the special scientific, legal and ethical issues surrounding the research."
The healthcare organizations assert that the ability to create specialized types of cells from human pluripotent stem cells holds great promise for the successful treatment of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, heart disease and stroke, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and spinal cord injury. In addition, stem cell research may be beneficial in the area of drug development and evaluation as well as enhancing the understanding of abnormal growth and development, which may lead to the prevention and treatment of birth defects and cancer.
To have a copy of the letter faxed to you, call Stephanie Pearson, Office of Communications at (202) 862-6209.
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The Association of American Medical Colleges represents the 125 accredited U.S. medical schools; the 16 accredited Canadian medical schools; some 400 major teaching hospitals, including 74 Veterans Administration medical centers; 87 academic and professional societies representing 88,000 faculty members; and the nation's 67,000 medical students and 102,000 residents.
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