Georgia Biomedical Partnership Responds To Georgia Senate Bills 596 and 537.ATLANTA -- The Georgia Biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. Partnership (GBP GBP In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the British Pound. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. ), the non-profit association representing the life sciences industry in Georgia, issues the following response to Georgia Senate Bills 596 and 537 as currently written: The GBP supports efforts by the sponsors of both bills to establish a public placental tissue and umbilical cord blood umbilical cord blood Transplantation A source of primitive and stem cells that can be used to reconstitute BM destroyed by aplastic anemia or by RT or chemotherapy for CA, lymphoproliferative malignancies. See Bone marrow transplantation, Stem cell therapy. bank and provide access to this tissue and blood for research purposes. The GBP also supports the efforts of both bills to ban human reproductive cloning Noun 1. human reproductive cloning - the reproductive cloning of a sentient human being; generally considered ethically unacceptable reproductive cloning - making a full living copy of an organism; requires a surrogate mother . Both bills, however, also address therapeutic cloning therapeutic cloning n. A procedure in which damaged tissues or organs are repaired or replaced with genetically identical cells that originate from undifferentiated stem cells. and human embryonic stem cell Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of an early stage embryo known as a blastocyst. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4-5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50-150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent. research. Many leading scientists believe that the investigation of embryonic stem cells represents one of the most promising areas of biomedical research, offering the potential to treat and perhaps cure a variety of debilitating de·bil·i·tat·ing adj. Causing a loss of strength or energy. Debilitating Weakening, or reducing the strength of. Mentioned in: Stress Reduction and life-threatening diseases and conditions such as heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, sickle cell anemia sickle cell anemia n. A chronic, usually fatal inherited form of anemia marked by crescent-shaped red blood cells, occurring almost exclusively in Blacks, and characterized by fever, leg ulcers, jaundice, and episodic pain in the joints. , diabetes, kidney failure, and paralysis. The GBP recognizes that therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research are complicated issues that raise ethical and religious concerns. Accordingly, the GBP supports amending SB 596 and SB 537 to eliminate references to therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research in favor of forming a joint House-Senate Study Committee to debate these specific issues as part of an effort to craft legislative measures that are in the best interests of Georgians. The GBP also recommends that the Study Committee appoint an advisory panel made up of people from the community representing the full spectrum of positions on embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning. This approach would serve as a national model in confronting issues that have serious, long-term implications for the health of Georgians and the economic growth of the State. Conversely, the GBP believes that hasty legislation that prevents therapeutic cloning and embryonic stem cell research may lead to measures that could adversely impact the health of Georgians, the economic development goals of the Governor and General Assembly and the momentum our state is experiencing with respect to growth of the life sciences industry. About the Georgia Biomedical Partnership The Georgia Biomedical Partnership, founded in 1989, represents the life sciences industry in Georgia. Our members total 270 companies, institutions and universities, government groups, corporate service providers, and other organizations involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental products. |
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