Patrick Pushes Forward Stem Cell Proposal

President George W. Bush vetoed a bill that would have lifted restrictions on stem cell research in June, but Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick ’78 has decided that his state will not wait for the federal government’s consent before pressing on with the issue.

Patrick unveiled a $1 billion proposal on July 20 that would help to bolster life sciences research—especially in regards to stem cells—and assert Massachusetts’ place as the epicenter of the scientific innovation.

The proposal would provide for $500 million in bond funding that would be earmarked for capital projects, including a stem cell bank and gene research center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

An additional $25 million a year over the next 10 years would go towards grants for life sciences-related research and the same amount would be available for life sciences companies in the form of tax incentives.

Cyndi M. Roy, a spokesperson for the governor, said that this issue began as a campaign promise and that Patrick has only grown more committed to it over time.

“I think the governor understands that we can’t afford to not do this,” Roy said. “Other states have already embarked on this and Massachusetts has the brain power and people power, and it’s just a matter of putting resources into what we have.”

Roy said that the governor is confident that his proposal will not face much difficulty in the state legislature.

“We would hope that this would pass as soon as possible,” she said. “And all indications are that the legislature is supportive of the concept.”

While awaiting the debate on the bill, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) Executive Director Brock C. Reeve said that all three aspects of Patrick’s proposal could potentially aid the mission of the institute and of the “greater Harvard network.”

“One could imagine that some of the core facilities under the HSCI umbrella could be supported with state funding,” Reeve said.

Though Reeve said he doesn’t want to be overconfident about the effect this proposal could have on the activities of the Institute—which has to date created more stem cell lines than any other facility in the world—he said that he hopes it will speed up the process of getting cutting-edge research to the people who can most benefit from it.

“Part of our agenda as we look at the commercialization of therapies and bringing things to the clinic and the market is the collaboration with the commercial sector,” Reeve said. “To the extent to which state funding could bridge this gap, we are hopeful.”

The Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives are both overwhelmingly controlled by the Democrats, but that hasn’t stopped those from across the aisle from speaking up about this heavily-politicized issue.

“I don’t think we should be no holds barred and running right into it,” said F. Jay Barrows, a Republican representative in the state house. “The arguments surrounding the debate are very loud on both sides. The scientific community has one thing to say and the folks with the moral argument have another, so we just need more information right now.”

Barrows said he wants to learn more about the issue and further examine this initiative in particular before he can fully support it.

“It’s like with everything else,” he said. “When we try to stimulate various industries, I just have to really determine what the return on the investment is going to be.”

—Staff writer Nathan C. Strauss can be reached at strauss@fas.harvard.edu.