NEWS RELEASES
11/03/04 News Release
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STATEMENT ON THE PASSAGE OF PROPOSITION 71
Philip Pizzo, MD, Dean of Stanford University School of Medicine
STANFORD, Calif. – This is an important day for science and medicine as the passage of Proposition 71 will bring new funds to a field of research that has shown the potential to change the way we understand and treat disease. Therapies eventually developed through stem cell research could lead to treatments for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis and other diseases that afflict so many people in California and around the world. The new funds will enable universities and institutions in California to recruit leading investigators, initiate new research efforts and develop the facilities in which to carry out these programs. Equally important, passage of Proposition 71 is a clear affirmation from the citizens of California that they value this area of investigation. Without question, this will help further stimulate the national discussion about the value and importance of stem cell research.
Stanford University School of Medicine has some of the world's leading stem cell researchers who will certainly apply for funding for their work. Their continued research could lead to cures for Parkinson's disease and diabetes or could repair damage from heart attacks or stroke, among many possible future applications of stem cell research. Our Stanford Institute for Cancer/Stem Cell Biology and Medicine will also seek to utilize insights from stem cell research to unlock important clues in cancer biology that we hope will also result in new diagnostic, treatment and prevention strategies.
Funds from Proposition 71 will be dispersed on a competitive basis with
strict peer review by a panel of experts in stem cell research. Moreover,
the Institute established by Proposition 71 will be overseen by a panel
including California citizens and ethicists to ensure that research is
carried out with the highest possible ethical standards. Stanford researchers
remain opposed to human reproductive cloning, a field that is also prohibited
by Proposition 71.
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Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. For more information, please visit the Office of Communication & Public Affairs site at http://mednews.stanford.edu/.
