Stem Cell Research

What is the American Brain Coalition?

The American Brain Coalition (ABC) is a non-profit organization that bring together people with disabling brain disorders, the families of those affected, and the professionals that research and treat diseases of the brain.  The mission of the American Brain Coalition is to reduce the burden of brain disorders, and advance the understanding of the brain.

Hope for the Future: Embryonic Stem Cells

ABC along with over 70 percent of the American public, supports federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.  This research holds much promise in better understanding brain disorders and for developing new treatments and possibly cures for people with brain disorders.

Embryonic stem cells hold immense promise for those suffering from neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s, and spinal cord injury.  These diseases, and many others, are caused by damage to a patient’s cells and tissue.  Stem cells can genetically mirror the healthy cells of a living person. In other words, patients might be cured using cells created from their own DNA, avoiding the risk of immune system rejection.

Support for President Obama’s Executive Order

The ABC is grateful to the President for rescinding the restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research that have been in place since 2001.  The Executive Order signed on March 9, 2009, ensures that scientists can fully pursue all relevant scientific opportunities and that politics is removed from science.  ABC is also supportive of the NIH developing ethical guidelines as mandated in the Executive Order to ensure that this research is conducted with strong oversight and meets the highest ethical standards.

The ABC Opposes Human Reproductive Cloning

Along with all of the major scientific and professional medical societies, the ABC supports an immediate ban on human reproductive cloning.  There is a difference, however, between stem cell research and reproductive cloning.  Stem cell research is a technique that produces new cells that have the potential to become any specialized cell in the body, such as a brain cell or a heart cell.   Reproductive cloning aims to recreate an entire human being.

Researchers do many kinds of cloning, and most methods are long established and widely accepted. For example, accepted methods of cloning allow us to develop new drugs, catch criminals, and sequence the human genome.  Stem cell research offers great promise for curing deadly diseases; it does not create people.

Recommendation

Embryonic stem cells may provide new treatments and perhaps cures for the 50 million Americans suffering from a disease or disorder of the brain.  The ABC looks forward to working with the NIH and Congress to ensure that all opportunities in this field can be fully pursued within a sound ethical framework.