STATEMENT TO THE MEDIA:

CAMR LAUDS NEW HARVARD STEM CELL RESEARCH FOCUS ON SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER

The following statement may be attributed to Sean Tipton, president, Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR):

“The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research lauds Harvard University’s announcement today that it will begin new research around somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT).

“SCNT research aims to treat or cure patients by creating tailor-made, genetically identical cells that their bodies won’t reject, in a way allowing patients to be cured using their own DNA. This is important, promising research that must be done, and we applaud Harvard for its initiative in this field.

“CAMR supports research that advances the field of regenerative medicine, especially with the thorough oversight and thoughtful, ethical boundaries that the leadership at Harvard has put into place for protection of both egg donors and the appropriate use of therapeutic cloning techniques.

“In the absence of federal support for and oversight of this type of research, CAMR is pleased that institutions like Harvard have taken the necessary steps to ensure that therapeutic cloning research happens in a manner fully consistent with the ethics and scientific standards in place for all research involving human subjects and tissues.

“CAMR believes that as the federal government does with other kinds of promising technology and medical research issues, it must fund regenerative medical research, to ensure America’s leadership position in the fields of science and medicine."

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