Early today the House of Representatives passed the reauthorization of the “Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act,” a bill written by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04) in 2005 and now reauthorized through 2015.

    The landmark bill, HR 2520, the “Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act” was signed into law by President Bush in December 2005. The reauthorization of the bill, “The Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Reauthorization Act of 2010,” was approved unanimously in a voice vote.

            ‘… it remains one of the best kept secrets
            in America that umbilical cord blood stem
            cells and adult stem cells in general are
            curing people of a myriad of terrible conditions
            and diseases… .’ – Cong. Smith CQ 9-30-10 

    Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells. Hospitals throw millions of them away each year because prior to the law the infrastructure required to properly collect and store them was not available. The 2005 law increased the number of cord blood units and stem cells available for treating patients and expanded research.

    “That law created a new nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, derive, type and freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and even cure serious disease and pursuant to the law, also provided stem cells for research,” Smith said on the floor of the House during consideration of the bill.  “The new cord blood program was combined in the 2005 law with an expanded bone marrow initiative.” Click here to read Cong. Smith’s floor remarks.

In Smith’s 2005 law, he named the program after Rep. Bill Young, (FL-10), who spearheaded federal support of bone marrow treatments.  The reauthorization of Smith’s bill, which passed the House of Representatives today, passed the Senate earlier this week (S. 3751) and includes the following provisions:
 

• authorizes $23 million to be appropriated for fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2014 and $20 million for fiscal year 2015 for the National Cord Blood Inventory and authorize $30 million to be appropriated for fiscal year 2011 through fiscal year 2014 and $33 million for fiscal year 2015 for the Bone Marrow Transplant program.
•  enhances the studies, demonstration programs, and outreach projects related to cord blood donation and collection to include exploring innovative technologies, novel approaches, and expanding the number of collection sites.
• extends the term of initial and contract extensions from three to five years, making it easier for banks to engage in long-term relationship building with birthing hospitals.
• requires cord blood banks to establish a plan for increasing cord blood unit collections and/or expand the number of collection sites with which they work and provide a plan for becoming self-sufficient.
• requires a GAO report to review studies, demonstration programs, and outreach efforts for the purpose of increasing cord blood unit donation and collection for the NCBI to ensure a high-quality and genetically diverse inventory of cord blood units.
• removes the 150,000 cap on cord blood units to be made available for transplant.

    “Mr. Speaker, each year over 4 million babies are born in America,” Smith said. “In the past virtually every placenta and umbilical cord was tossed as medical waste. Today, doctors have turned this “medical waste” into medical miracles. Not only has God in His wisdom and goodness created a placenta and the umbilical cord to nurture and protect the precious life of an unborn child, but now we know that another gift awaits us immediately after birth. Something very special is left behind, cord blood that is teeming with life-saving stem cells. Indeed, it remains one of the best kept secrets in America that umbilical cord blood stem cells and adult stem cells in general are curing people of a myriad of terrible conditions and diseases-over 70 diseases in adults as well as in children.”

    Cord blood transplants are on the cutting edge of science for the treatment of leukemia and other cancers and are not just for treatment of blood-related diseases.  Increasingly, they also have the capability, as research shows, to do other miraculous things, like treating Cerebral Palsy, Lupus and genetic diseases such as Krabbe Disease, Hurler Disease and Tay Sach Disease.

    In the years since the Smith bill authorized the cord blood program, 12 cord blood banks have received contracts with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to collect, store, and provide cord blood units to doctors, patients and researchers.  There has been progress toward achieving the goal of collecting and maintaining a collection of 150,000 ethnically diverse units, but Smith said more time and funding is necessary to reach that goal.

    “In addition to treating blood cancers, clinical trials are underway for the treatment of many other cancers, such as breast and kidney and treating solid tumors,” Smith said.  “Human clinical trials show promise in treating Type I diabetes, cerebral palsy, metabolic storage diseases, brain injury and respiratory distress in newborns, spinal cord injury, and cartilage injuries. Cord blood stem cell transplants can cure sickle cell anemia, one of the most horrific diseases suffered by and affecting 1 out of every 500 African-Americans in America.  The legislation that is before us thankfully has already cleared the Senate and will soon be down for the President’s desk for signature.”

    History: On June 7, 2001, Smith introduced H.R. 2096, the first umbilical cord blood banking bill.  The purpose of H.R. 2096 was “To provide for a National Stem Cell Donor Bank regarding qualifying human stem cells, and for the conduct and support of research using such cells.” Smith continued to offer legislation to establish a national cord blood banking program in subsequent congresses.

    In the 109^th Congress, the House passed H.R. 2520, the “Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005.” H.R. 2520 also passed the Senate and was signed into law.  Funding began at $4 million in FY2008, and has grown to $12M in 2010. Funding is proposed at nearly $14 million 2011.

Releases from 2005:

Text of the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-129) [.pdf]  
Explanation of HR 2520 – the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act
U.S. Rep. Chris Smith joined President George W. Bush in a bill signing ceremony in the Roosevelt Room at the White House this morning for the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (HR 2520).
Congress Passes Smith’s Life Saving Cord Blood Bill

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