Great News: Senators Boxer & Kirk Introduce Regen Med Bill

I just heard some very good news on the regenerative medicine front, a new Regenerative Medicine Bill.

US Senators Barbara Boxer and Mark Kirk today introduced The Regenerative Medicine Promotion Act, which would keep track of and promote regenerative medicine efforts.

This is really exciting and provides hope.

One of the neat things about this news is that Boxer is a California Democrat, while Kirk is an Illinois Republican so this is fantastic bipartisanship.

On Boxer’s website there are some quotes that resonated strongly with me from the two Senators:

“Regenerative medicine gives priceless hope to millions of Americans who are suffering from life-threatening or debilitating conditions,” Senator Boxer said. “This bill will help make the promise of these medical breakthroughs a reality for this generation and generations to come.”

 

“As a stroke survivor, I know firsthand the importance of medical research and therapy,” Senator Kirk said.“Regenerative medicine would benefit the lives of countless Americans, including those suffering from chronic and life-threatening diseases or injuries, and builds on our success in stem cell research.”

I should also note that the Act is supported by the Alliance For Regenerative Medicine, the ALS Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the National MS Society, The National Stem Cell Foundation, and the Parkinson’s Action Network amongst others.

If you care about these issues you might also consider a donation to one of these groups to help support these efforts and I’ve added links to each name above.

Boxer’s site also mentions the cost savings that could come from Regenerative Medicine:

“One study estimated that regenerative medicine could save the U.S. $250 billion per year in direct costs associated with late-stage Parkinson’s disease, new cases of spinal cord injury, heart failure, stroke, and insulin-dependent diabetes. ”