Kansas City, Mo. (July 14, 2006) – William B. Neaves, President and CEO of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, has joined Shane Smith, Ph.D., of the Children’s Neurobiological Solutions Foundation and Steven Teitelbaum, M.D., of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in analyzing a widely-distributed list of 65 purported adult stem cell treatments for diseases and injuries.

     In a letter posted to Science Express today, Dr. Neaves and his co-authors question the claims made by opponents of early (or embryonic) stem cell research. Their analysis of these claims shows that fully tested, FDA-approved adult stem cell treatments are available to treat only nine of the conditions listed, not 65.

     Opponents of research with embryonic stem cells falsely assert that adult stem cells are being used to treat patients suffering from more than 65 different diseases, including Parkinson’s and spinal cord injury. In fact, there are no proven treatments for Parkinson’s or spinal cord injury or most of the other diseases listed by opponents of embryonic stem cells. Instead, the leading medical and scientific organizations and the great majority of the scientists and doctors they represent agree that research with embryonic stem cells represents the greatest hope for cures for these and many other diseases. These organizations include the National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, and the Association of American Medical Colleges as well as most patient advocacy and disease-specific nonprofit groups.

     Opponents of embryonic stem cell research try to mislead people by fabricating a conflict between scientists who conduct research with adult stem cells and those who focus on embryonic stem cells. In fact, there is no such conflict. The leading scientists in the field of adult stem cell research consistently advocate research with embryonic stem cells, and vice versa. This is not a contest between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Instead, it is a contest between society and disease.

     “Sadly, those responsible for compiling and distributing the list of more than 65 diseases have misrepresented existing adult stem cell treatments and distorted the nature and content of many references cited in support of including diseases on the list,” said Dr. Neaves. “Our first obligation in the debate over stem cell research is to tell the truth, and the truth is that the scientific community is united in the belief that research with both adult and early stem cells must continue. The misrepresentation of adult stem cell treatments is not only bad science, it’s bad ethics.”

About the Stowers Institute
     Housed in a 600,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility on a 10-acre campus in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research conducts basic research on fundamental processes of cellular life. Through its commitment to collaborative research and the use of cutting-edge technology, the Institute seeks more effective means of preventing and curing disease. The Institute was founded by Jim and Virginia Stowers, two cancer survivors who have created combined endowments of $2 billion in support of basic research of the highest quality.