Amendment 2 re dux?

When Missouri voters passed Amendment 2 in November—allowing embryonic stem-cell research to continue in the Show-Me State— biotechnology leaders viewed it as positive for the entire industry.

Last month, however, Missouri State Sen. Matt Bartle, a Republican from Lee’s Summit, and Rep. Jim Lembke, a Republican from St. Louis, proposed an amendment to the amendment, which would more or less reverse the November vote.

The two lawmakers say the current amendment, which was certified by the Missouri Secretary of State’s office on Dec. 9, allows human cloning, which the lawmakers want banned. Connie Farrow, the press liaison for The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, said that the stem-cell initiative clearly bans human cloning.

“Cloning a patient’s cells in a laboratory does not constitute human cloning,” Farrow said. “That’s what Missourians understood when they went to the polls.” The lawmakers’ protest suggests the issue is not quite that clear cut.

“We’re moving forward. Our institutions and our researchers and our businesses here deserve to have the same opportunities as their peers in other states,” added Farrow. “If [Bartle and Lembke] want to continue this fight, we will be there. We will meet them at every turn.”

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research stated before the November election that it would not pursue a $300 million expansion if Amendment 2 failed. Now that it has passed, the institute is going forward with its plans for a 600,000 square-foot expansion, which would double the institute’s size. A final decision for the expansion will likely come after the Institute’s scientific advisory board meets in April.

The day Bartle and Lembke unveiled their proposal, the Stowers Institute issued this statement:

We anticipated that some politicians who oppose research with embryonic stem cells would continue their attempts to block the search for treatments and cures, despite the fact that the citizens of Missouri resolved this issue on Nov. 7. As far as the Stowers Institute is concerned, the Amendment 2 victory was the signal we needed to proceed with recruitment of outstanding scientists who work with embryonic stem cells and with plans for campus expansion in Missouri.

Even though his company, Proteon Therapeutics, does not do stem-cell research, Chief Scientific Officer Nick Franano welcomes the proposed expansion at the Stowers Institute.

“I think it has the ability to create a further boost to the biotech industry in Kansas City,” Franano said. “If you have 1.2 million square feet of state-of-the-art biotech space,” he added, “it’s such an enormous engine.”

Kelly Gillespie, the executive director of the Missouri Biotechnology Association, noted “In many states, there’s a big question mark behind the environment in which these states operate. We’ve got it resolved in Missouri. We’ve got a plus sign next to our name.”

Bill Duncan, president of the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute, said “The passing of Amendment 2 sends a positive message to the rest of the world and will help recruit more world-class scientists to the region.