Christopher H. Smith

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 36 wordseach year over 3.6 million babies are born in the United States.¹ In the past, virtually every placenta and umbilical cord was tossed as medical waste. Today, doctors have turned this medical waste into medical miracles. Positioning · 38 wordsNot only has God, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, created a placenta and an umbilical cord to nurture and protect the precious life of an unborn child, but now we know another gift awaits immediately after birth.Positioning Procedure · 6 wordsSomething very special is left behind: ProcedureClaims · 10 wordsumbilical cord blood that is teeming with life-saving stem cells.Off point Mr. Speaker, Claims · 94 wordstoday the House will vote to reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, a law that I authored 21 years ago.² That law created a new nationwide umbilical cord blood stem cell program designed to collect, type, and cryogenically freeze cord blood units for transplantation into patients to mitigate and cure serious disease. The law also provided that cord blood stem cells be used for research. The new cord blood program was combined with an expanded bone marrow initiative, crafted over several years by our distinguished former colleague, Congressman Bill Young. Mr. Speaker, Claims · 35 wordsumbilical cord blood stem cells obtained after the birth of a child have proven to be highly efficacious in treating over 75 diseases, including lymphoma, leukemia, sickle cell disease, ³and other metabolic and immune deficiencies. Thanks · 67 wordsI thank Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg of Duke University, an internationally renowned expert in pediatric hematology, oncology, and umbilical cord blood banking and transplantation. Dr. Kurtzberg helped draft our original law 26 years ago.⁴ It took 5 long years to enact it into law.⁵ It was blocked at many turns, Hidden agencybut she was right there from the beginning and continues to be an extraordinary pioneer in the field.ThanksOff point Claims · 86 wordsEarlier today, I called Dr. Kurtzberg--we do talk a lot--and she said cord blood has been used as a donor for transplant, enabling over 50,000 patients with cancer, blood disease, ⁶and other genetic conditions to have a life-saving treatment. Cord blood is also used as starting material for manufacturing immune effector cells, like CAR T cells, and others to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. She said there is exciting research now using cord blood to treat children with cerebral palsy, birth asphyxia, and autism. Mr. Speaker, Claims · 107 wordsthe National Cord Blood Inventory--created by the original law and continued in this reauthorization--provides funding to public cord blood banks participating in the program to allow them to expand the national inventory of cord blood units that are available for transplant.⁷ These units are then listed on the registry by the National Marrow Donor Program.⁸ The funds appropriated thus far have led to an important increase in the use of these units. The registry now has approximately 121,000 available units.⁹ The program registry allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult donors, for both marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplants. Mr. Speaker, Claims · 103 wordsthe program registry allows patients and physicians to locate matching cord blood units, as well as adult a donors, for marrow and peripheral blood stem cells. The program is the world’s largest, most diverse donor registry, with more than 43 million potential marrow donors around the world.¹⁰ To date, NMDP, through its operation of the program, has facilitated over 150,000 transplants.¹¹ The bill before us today, Mr. Speaker, authorizes $280 million for these programs over 5 years--$115 million for cord blood, $165 million for bone marrow programs--to ensure that thousands of present and future patients benefit from this extraordinary field of regenerative medicine.¹² Mr. Speaker, Thanks · 121 wordsI am deeply grateful to Chairman Guthrie for his amazing support and leadership in advancing the bill. I want to thank others, including my friend Frank Pallone; Doris Matsui, who is the prime Democrat cosponsor; Mr. Bilirakis, one of the originals and a great supporter; Ms. Pingree; Ms. Tenney; Mr. Mfume; and others. We have others, but they were the originals. I also want to thank some of my staff, including Rebecca West, Evan Heitman, John McDonough, who worked overtime--as you know, so many details to be attended to--and, of course, the Staff Director Megan Jackson; Emma Schultheis; and Jackie Weinrich, who worked on the Democrat side in helping to get this to the floor. I thank them all so much.ThanksOff point Mr. Speaker, Claims · 4 wordsthis will save lives, Unearned certaintyThe ask · 6 wordsand I urge support for it.