Iowa May Be A Leader In Ethical Stem Cell Research

3 years ago under the leadership of (alledgedly) Catholic Speaker of the House Pat Murphy, Iowa passed a law that allowed cloning. Naturally Pat Murphy lied & tried to claim it wasn't. I publicly confronted him & called him aliar. I nearly got arrested for doing so. The whole support for his denial was that he was told it wasn't by a expert group from the Uof I in Iowa City, that promotes embryonic stem cell research. Talk about a conflict of interest. Well enough about the background to this story. The good news is that there is an alternate to what the Uof I researchers want to do getting off the ground here in Iowa. In the Uof I's back yard at that.

I am refering to The John Paul II Stem Cell Research Institute (JP2SRI). Here is a video they put out to introduce themselves:

(From their website) The John Paul II Stem Cell Research Institute (JP2SRI) is a non-profit research institute whose mission is to advance research and education on stem cell research in a manner consistent with a pro-life bioethics. JP2SRI is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt public charity, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service. The Institute strictly focuses on adult and cord blood stem cell research and education. The Institute's goal is to focus on reducing the barriers of translate basic research into clinical research. JP2SRI mission is to coordinate research activities between the Institute, academia and industry and to find treatment solutions for patients with disorders that could potentially benefit from adult and umbilical cord stem cells.
JP2SRI was founded by Dr. Alan Moy. Dr. Moy is a physician-scientist whose previous academic appointment was at the University of Iowa College of Medicine and College of Engineering. He is also the Founder and President of Cellular Engineering Technologies Inc., a biotechnology company located in Iowa, which focuses on preclinical industrial applications in adult and umbilical cord stem cell research. Dr. Moy is currently a practicing physician in private practice and holds an Adjunct Associate Professor position in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa.

The JP2SRI is hoping to locate its research activities at the BioVenture Facility in Coralville, IA. That center is owned by the U of I. Like I was saying about their own back yard. They are currently running a Capital Campaign so they can build a 16,000 square foot facility there.

The Center has received 2 important Vatican endorsements from Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, President of the Pontificium Consilium Pro Familia & Emmience Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontificio Consiglio Per La Pastorale Della Salute. In addition Do No Harm: The Coalition of Americans for Research Ethics , a group that promotes ethical stem cell research.

The Institute is affiliated with Mercy Hospital of Iowa City, which provides discarded adult tissue (fat, adult skin, foreskin, adult peripheral blood, umbilical cords and umbilical cord blood). The research is approved by Institutional Review Board and is in compliance with State and Federal regulations. They currently have several studies underway & are looking for elligible participants. They also are providing support for scientists with adult stem cells who will collaborate with the Institute to satisfy FDA preclinical requirements for specific clinical diseases. The current support will be in the form of adult stem cells and tissue culture media. The research is approved by Institutional Review Board and is in compliance with State and Federal regulations.

I have had a link to the JP2SRI up for a long time. They deserve our support. If you are able to give, esp for their building campaign please follow the link to the donation page. I really think Iowa can be the leader in ethical stem cell research. OK, I am a bit prejudiced, but that doesn't mean that I am wrong. I will not apologize for being a cheerleader for my home state. Iowa can be the leader in showing the rest of the world that the true hope in stem cells is not by using embryonic cells. The true hope is found in umbilical & adult cells.

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Note: Full disclosure requires me to admit tht I know 1 of the Board members. I am refering to Janine Idziak, Ph.D., Professor of Ethics, Loras College. Several years ago I took Medieval Philosophy here at Loras & she taught the class. & I do see her occasionally even now.