By Mary E. O’Leary, Register Topics Editor
moleary@newhavenregister.com

NEW HAVEN — Haifan Lin, director of the Yale Stem Cell Center, Thursday summed up the effect of a judicial ruling cutting off federal funds for embryonic stem cell research in two words: “immediate” and “horrendous.”

Lin was one of several top scientists and advocates summoned to Yale University Thursday by Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal to listen to what he might be able to do to address the issue.

It turns out, as state attorney general, his current position, there isn’t much he can do except file an amicus brief in an appeal of the temporary injunction ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia.

As a senator, however, both Blumenthal and his rival for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., Republican Linda McMahon, would support federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Blumenthal said one of his first actions would be to overturn the Dickey-Wicker Amendment that prevents use of federal funds to create new lines of human embryonic stem cells.

Ed Patru, communications director for McMahon, said McMahon and Blumenthal are essentially in agreement on this issue. “This is a legislative responsibility,” Patru said. “The legislature should change the law. (McMahon) supports federal funding for stem cell research” for the hope it represents for potential cures for a number of diseases.

Blumenthal said he also opposed the Bush administration’s decision to limit the stem cell lines open to research with federal money. “It needlessly and irresponsibly injected politics into science and cut off federal funding for one of the most promising fields of medical advancement,” creating enormous costs and inefficiencies, Blumenthal said.

He called Lamberth’s decision “misguided” and said he would reach out to other attorneys general to join him in a friend of the court brief to fight the issue on a judicial front.

Beyond the scientists, about 15 other “volunteers” for the Blumenthal campaign, mainly senior citizens, lined the room to listen to him.

Lin said 29 labs at Yale are working exclusively on human embryonic stem cell research that was jump-started with state funds out of a total of 62 stem cell labs at Yale. He said they are poised to attract federal funding to advance their work, some of which shows “great promise ... but this ruling obviously stopped all that,” as well as applications for small business loans geared to setting up companies connected to the research. Continued...

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President Barack Obama last year lifted restrictions on use of federal money for this research as long as private or state funds were used to create any new lines of stem cells.

Laura Grabel, a professor and researcher at Wesleyan University, said she would also like to see the Dickey-Wicker Amendment repealed, but allowing the present setup to continue has worked.

Grabel said an important part of this research is education. “I think lots of folks don’t understand that the alternative fate for these embryos that we can use to generate cell lines is to sit indefinitely frozen in freezers in infertility clinics,” said Grabel.

Bob Mandelkern, who has Parkinson’s disease, called Lamberth’s ruling “the most unfair, unjust decision that I have seen come down from a court in my 85 years. It is based on a logic that defies me.”

Juliana Romano, 32, an attorney and resident of New Haven, said she has had Type 1 diabetes for the past 19 years, and called it a “very difficult disease to deal with. ... There is never a day off.”

Paul Pescatello, president and CEO of Connecticut United for Research Excellence, said the decision also slows formation of companies. He said cutting edge discoveries out of stem cell research are what entrepreneurs are seeking, but uncertainty is “toxic” to investment.

Call Mary E. O’Leary at 203-789-5731.

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