Washington Editor

WASHINGTON - On a steamy summer Monday that approached 100 degrees here, embryonic stem cell supporters and opponents gathered en masse at the Capitol ahead of today's Senate vote to expand federal funding for the controversial research.

"People need hope," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said at a press conference, where attendees stood shoulder to shoulder, fanning themselves. "We need to give them hope."

At present, only 22 cell lines are available for federal funding under President Bush's 5-year-old policy, and researchers in the public and private sectors have long clamored for better government support of embryonic stem cells.

Although Reid acknowledged uncertainty as to whether the Senate would pass the proposed measure, known as the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (S. 471), most observers and several other senators agreed that the bill would have the upper chamber's requisite support of 60 votes. The House of Representatives passed the original version of the legislation (H.R. 810) more than a year ago, 238-194, in favor of research on excess embryos produced at in vitro fertilization clinics. (See BioWorld Today, May 26, 2005.)

But opponents, such as Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who instead is pushing to expand funding into research on adult and cord blood-derived stem cells, expect the president to exercise his first veto and turn down the embryonic stem cell bill. That likely would halt its progress for the current congressional session because there doesn't appear to be enough support for an override - in the Senate, it would require 67 votes, which might be attainable, but a two-thirds majority in the House remains a long shot.

Regardless, many embryonic stem cell supporters felt they crossed a major hurdle in securing the Senate floor debate and subsequent vote. "We've waited a long time for this to come," said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), later adding that he was "hopeful" that the president would sign the bill and "unleash the tremendous potential" of embryonic stem cells.

To get to this point, such advocates received backing from numerous Republicans who have broken rank with more conservative GOP colleagues who have painted the matter as a pro-life issue. Among them was Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who last summer departed from White House policy and just recently scheduled this vote after ensuring that two less-controversial stem cell bills would receive votes simultaneously, as well. (See BioWorld Today, Aug. 2, 2005.)

A measure from Sens. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), S. 2754, would encourage research into obtaining pluripotent stem cells without destroying embryos through methods such as altered nuclear transfer. Of note, that compromise bill has split H.R. 810's pro-life opponents, some of whom view the alternate research as manipulative of human life.

The third bill, S. 3504, was introduced by Santorum and Brownback to make it illegal to perform research on embryos from so-called fetal farms, at which they could be created specifically for research. It has encountered no opposition.

Notably, no amendments will be considered for any of the proposed bills. Votes on all three are expected today, and should they pass, the House is expected to take up companion versions of S. 2754 and S. 3504 under suspension, meaning they would receive votes without going through the committee process.

Should the latter two pass in both congressional chambers, President Bush is expected to sign them into law.

It is worth noting that the debate is coming to a head in an election year. Votes for or against H.R. 810 could prove a factor as public polls have shown wide support for broader federal funding for embryonic stem cells. Two months ago, the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research released figures showing that 72 percent of respondents favor the research. (See BioWorld Today, May 18, 2006.)