JDRF Reacts with Disappointment To White House Veto of Stem Cell Bill

[berni_mccoy]

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JDRF Reacts with Disappointment To
White House Veto of Stem Cell Bill

Despite Setback, Research Leading to a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes
Will Proceed on Many Fronts, Guided by JDRF’s Six Goal Therapeutics

July 19, 2006, Washington, DC—The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s leading charitable supporter of research on type 1 diabetes and its complications, reacted with disappointment to today’s White House veto of H.R. 810—the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act.

“This bill had the potential through a powerful research tool to accelerate the development of new treatments and therapies that might help millions of American people who are suffering from chronic diseases, including type 1 diabetes,” said Arnold W. Donald, President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF.

Most polls have shown a majority of Americans, as well as the scientific community, favor expanding federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Mr. Donald noted that while JDRF will continue to advocate for expanding federal funding for stem cell research, the organization will also continue its significant efforts to discover and develop new therapies and cures for diabetes and its complications. In addition to identifying new sources of insulin-producing islets, JDRF is focused on a wide range of areas of medical research, including regenerating insulin-producing beta cells, autoimmunity, complications, technological or mechanical interventions, like an artificial pancreas, and replacing islet cells.