Compromise bill created pertaining to controversial research

Comparing the bills Click here to see a detailed comparison of LB 606 and LB 700.

After several months of negotiations, a compromise legislative bill has been created by the Judiciary Committee of the Nebraska Legislature to establish guidelines for research involving human embryonic stem cells and other evolving research techniques such as therapeutic cloning.

The new bill — LB 606 — replaces LB 700, which was introduced last year. LB 700 would have banned and criminalized any research dealing with reproductive or therapeutic cloning.

It is expected that LB 606 will be made a priority bill by one of the state senators and will be debated by the full unicameral before the legislative session ends in mid-April.

“In an ideal world, we would prefer that the Legislature would not put restrictions on the types of research that can be done. However, we realize this is an emotional issue and that there are strong differences of opinion,” said Bob Bartee, vice chancellor for external affairs. “We think LB 606 represents a compromise that is fair to both sides of the issue. It’s a compromise that we at the university can live with.”

Bartee thanked Sens. Brad Ashford and Steve Lathrop for their leadership in forging this compromise.

LB 606 came out of the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 7. Since then, there has been some confusion about the bill and what it means to the research being done at UNMC, Bartee said.

“We want to clarify any confusion that may exist,” he said. “Most importantly, LB 606 would allow UNMC researchers to continue to do research on human embryonic stem cells using federally approved cell lines in university facilities. That has not changed.”

The change with LB 606 is that no state funds and facilities can be used to destroy an embryo for the purpose of research, Bartee said.

In relation to research involving human embryonic stem cell lines, the bill would:

• Allow UNMC to do research on human embryonic stem cell lines as long as the cell lines were developed elsewhere or use techniques that don’t destroy an embryo;
  
• Not alter the Board of Regents’ policy that allows UNMC scientists to use only federally approved stem-cell lines;
  
• Not restrict human embryonic stem cell line creation or research done using private money and private facilities.

“We think LB 606 represents a compromise that is fair to both sides of the issue. It’s a compromise that we at the university can live with.” Bob Bartee

In relation to therapeutic cloning, also known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the bill would ban state funding and use of state facilities to create a human embryo through SCNT. SCNT involves taking the nucleus out of a human female egg and replacing it with genetic material from a skin cell or other body cell.

The bill would:

• Allow UNMC to do research on SCNT lines as long as the SCNT lines were developed elsewhere;
  
• Not impact the Board of Regents’ policy that prohibits University of Nebraska scientists from conducting research using stem cell lines produced through SCNT; and
  
• Not restrict SCNT cell line creation or research done using private money and private facilities.

“LB 606 does ban reproductive cloning and makes it a Class IV felony,” Bartee said. “However, this has absolutely no impact on UNMC, as we wholeheartedly support a ban on reproductive cloning. Most credible scientists view reproductive cloning as unethical, and we agree completely.”

The bill would encourage scientists to pursue research projects using non-embryonic stem cells rather than embryonic stem cells. Up to $500,000 in state tobacco settlement funds will be set aside in matching funds each year for non-embryonic stem cell research projects with no single institution in the state eligible to receive more than 70 percent of the funds.

Grants will be awarded by the Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee, a six-member committee made up of the deans of the UNMC and Creighton University medical schools as well as four scientists outside of Nebraska. The outside scientists would be nominated by each of the medical schools.

“This is a very positive element of the compromise bill,” Bartee said. “Many of our researchers are conducting research involving adult stem cells. This will provide another source of funding for these projects that didn’t previously exist. We’re excited about this development and think it will create new funding opportunities for our scientists.”

Bartee noted that there is a strong chance that the research landscape will change dramatically after this year’s presidential election.

“Several of the leading Democrat and Republican candidates have expressed an interest in expanding the number of federally approved human embryonic stem cell lines,” he said. “We’re optimistic that this will lead to increased federal funding for this type of research and more opportunities for scientists throughout the country to pursue this exciting area of research.”