MI legislature could learn a lesson from NY State

It's hard to imagine that our narrow minded, social conservative (SC) state legislature cannot learn from New York State. The NY State Legislature has not only encouraged Embryonic Stem Cell (ESC) research, it has allocated 600 million over 10 years for research. This has produced incredible results that promise breakthroughs for many diseases that hereunto have seen very little progress. The NY Legislature is acting not only in the interest of people who would benefit from new disease therapies, but also in the interest of all its citizens because of the tremendous positive economic impact this research will have. Not only will the payback be almost immediate as infrastructure build-out, and associated economic activity at universities and Medical/ Research Centers creates cutting edge jobs and requisite high tech job skills, it will also enable long range economic growth through the Life Science industry. If we can cure more diseases, it will cost less to treat them....duhhh. If we encourage cutting edge, state of the art research, then industry will build around that culture, and create jobs, economic activity and more prosperity. We as citizens of the state would also be "first in line" when it comes to realizing and new therapies that may be developed.

But alas.....this is what is happening in New York…not in Michigan.....How can it be that those guys are so much smarter than our guys? I don't get it, it is so oblivious, this is basic humanity 101!!!!!! this is basic economics 101!!!!!!! this is basic common sense !!!!! How can our Michigan State House of representatives, (including our 101st district tea head red neck  Ray (Billie bob Joe bob) Franz be SO STUPID.

Our social conservative lawmakers are not only taking the opposite approach of NY, they are actually quietly trying to pass legislation that will impede or even reverse the ESC research that is being privately and federally funded at University of Michigan. What a bunch of brain dead turds. Let me see......not only do they ignore Proposal 2 in which we the citizens of Michigan passed the Michigan Stem Cell Amendment to the State Constitution in 2008, they try and destroy life saving research because they feel it better to destroy a left over embryo then allow its use in research. As a result, not only do we get to witness complete disregard of majority opinion, we also get to be denied easy access to possible life saving therapies.......Oh,, and we get to be left out of the incredible economic benefits that could come from minimum investment in the future. Let's face it, manufacturing jobs in the automotive industry are NOT what is going to rebuild the economic base of S.E. Michigan (although the SC Legislature might have you believe it could) but a revitalized Life Science, Medical research, Pharmaceutical, Bio tech, type Industry COULD.......

As insane as it may sound, our SC legislature will ignore the opinion of every member of the scientific, medical, research community, and every economist (conservative or liberal)......if fact ignore the opinion and advice of almost every sane, practical, Intelligent, pragmatic, person alive in favor of the beliefs and opinions of a couple dozen guys living in Rome that ware funny hats........GO FIGURE.

omminnee.....omminnee....omminnee.... we won't go broke if you do.....Thanks a bunch Your Eminence!

ALBANY, N.Y. — Almost halfway through a $600 million state program supporting stem cell research, eight medical schools around New York are reporting progress on projects such as replicating liver cells and eradicating leukemia cells.

A new report from Associated Medical Schools of New York updates work at the institutions where hundreds of researchers are starting to unravel causes and potential treatments for conditions ranging from autism to heart disease and cancer. Stem cells are self-renewing and have the ability to develop into other types of cells.

The Mount Sinai School of Medicine reported finding a method to transform human skin cells into stem cells and turned differentiated human stem cells into heart cells. Those findings are expected to result in better understanding of how heart disease develops and allow initial testing of new treatments on stem cells before they are used on human subjects.

Dr. Ihor Lemischka, director of the Black Family Stem Cell Institute at Mount Sinai, said recreating heart cells in a dish from a patient with LEOPARD Syndrome, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, has opened ongoing avenues for researching the disease and screening potential drugs.

"It was a major achievement," Lemischka said. The initial work was reported in June 2010 in the journal Nature.

The shared research facility at Mount Sinai supports the work at 80 different labs, Lemischka said.

The Empire State Stem Cell Program was intended to fund projects in early stages, including those that initially have been unable to get federal or private funding. Grants have also been used for capital projects like renovating labs and establishing new stem cell centers.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine reported replicating liver cells that could help reduce the need for liver transplants using live donors and cadavers.

Dr. Allan Spiegel said 12 new researchers have been hired with state funding at the Bronx school, which also lists anemia, brain disorders, heart disease and obesity among its stem cell research subjects.

"It offers tremendous potential for understanding the causes of and developing better treatments for diseases like cancer, type 1 diabetes and Parkinson's," he said.

Einstein scientists also report advanced work on blood stem cell function. The school has opened a new $25 million research institute funded through private philanthropy. The report said state money has been used by the schools to leverage both federal and private grants.

The 11-year program has awarded nearly $223 million in research grants since 2008, with medical schools awarded $137.5 million. This year's state budget includes $44.8 million, the same as last year and down from the $50 million originally planned.

According to the report, the funding has supported about 400 research and related positions from New York City to Buffalo and Rochester.

The Rochester medical school, with research programs into neurological diseases, cancer, bone repair and musculoskeletal diseases, has been awarded more than $18 million. In one project, researchers said they developed a novel method to target and eradicate leukemia stem cells.

"This research has the potential to have significant impact on the treatment of patients with specific types of leukemia and will be useful in treating lymphoma and multiple myeloma," the report said.

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