U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL) issued the following joint-statement after the Senate voted to pass HR 2520 – the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act: (The non-controversial bill, written by Smith and co-sponsored by Davis passed the House of Representatives in May by a vote of 431-1. The bill has been ready, since that time, for Senate passage). 

    “The passage of this non-controversial legislation makes umbilical cord stem cell treatments available as soon as possible to the many people who need them to live,” said Smith. “With the passage of this bill, we will now be able to turn medical waste—umbilical cords and placentas—into medical miracles for huge numbers of very sick and terminally ill patients, who suffer from such maladies as leukemia and sickle cell anemia.” 

    “We are pleased that the Senate placed the importance of saving lives over politics with the passage of this legislation,” Davis said. “The use of stem cells from umbilical cords represents a breakthrough of immense promise. This legislation will expand the inventory of cord blood units and will streamline the process for the receipt of blood matches. 

    “I am particularly hopeful that these blood cells will represent a new front in the campaign against Sickle Cell Anemia, which disproportionately affects Black Americans,” Davis added.

    “Cord Blood Stem Cells are already treating patients and now, for the first time ever, my bill will establish a nationwide stem cell transplantation system once it becomes law,” Smith said. “It also reauthorizes the national bone marrow transplant system and combines both systems under a new program to provide an easy, single access point for information for doctors and patients, and for the purpose of collecting and analyzing outcomes data.

    Umbilical cords are a rich, non-controversial source of stem cells. Currently hospitals throw millions of them away each year because the infrastructure required to properly collect and store them is not available. Thousands have been successfully treated with cord blood stem cells for more than 67 diseases including Leukemia and Sickle Cell Anemia. The infusion of federal funds will make this medical miracle available to thousands more and will ensure that research continues so that this source of stem cells can treat many other debilitating diseases.