LANSING – A package of bills creating a network of umbilical cord blood stem cell banks in Michigan and help finance the network with $5 million from the state’s 21st Century Jobs Fund was reported to the Senate by the Health Policy Committee on Wednesday.

In moving SB 1353 and SB 1354 and HB 6291, HB 6292, HB 6293, HB 6294 and HB 6295 the committee only lightly touched on the more controversial issue of embryonic stem cells. Committee chair Senate Majority Floor Leader Sen. Bev Hammerstrom (R-Temperance) said she expects the issue to resurface in the next session if no action happens on legislation to end the state’s ban on research on embryonic stem cell research during the remainder of this term.

The cord blood package was sponsored by legislators opposed to allowing embryonic stem cell research, which opponents have argued involves the death of a fetus, and except for HB 5394* the package was all reported unanimously by the committee.

HB 5394 calls for $5 million to be used from the 21st Century Jobs fund to help finance the network of cord blood banks.

In fact, HB 5394 caused a division in the administration of Governor Jennifer Granholm with Jeff Mason of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation saying the corporation opposed the package because the fund has $90 million allotted for life sciences companies and $65 million has been committed.

But the Department of Community Health said it supported the package “so long as it does not take away from embryonic stem cell research which has more potential for life saving research.”

Supporting the package as well was Voravit Ratanatharathorn of the Karmanos Cancer Institute who oversees blood and marrow stem cell transplants, who said that because Michigan has started its cord blood banks later than other states it was less likely the state would get federal funding being allocated to maintain a network of blood banks.

But interest in using cord blood is growing quickly, he said. The institute oversees some 180 transplants of cord blood stem cells a year, he said, but the institute does not have a stable source of funding. The institute has been in discussion with a number of philanthropists for funding, but that is not reliable, he said.

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