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While the governor stays upbeat, Assembly passage is uncertainStatehouse

Acting Governor Richard J. Codey says a modern stem cell research center would attract top-notch scientists and make New Jersey a major player in a promising, but still very young field. Despite his strong support for the idea, however, the New Brunswick parking lot where the governor had hoped to lead a groundbreaking ceremony last month still sits empty.
The plan appeared to be on track last spring when the state Senate approved a bill calling for the construction of a nine-story, $150 million center in New Brunswick. It would be paid for by bonds issued by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. But the measure got snagged in the Assembly and wasn?t put to a vote before the summer recess.
The issue is hardly dead. The Assembly may bring the bill up during the lame-duck session between the November elections and the end of the year. Assuming the bill reaches the floor, it could face a close vote, considering that some 22 months ago the bill that OK?d stem cell research in the state passed by a single vote.
Some opponents of Codey?s current bill, like Assemblyman Neil Cohen (D-Union), support the research but want to see the state?s money spent on science rather than construction. Others, including Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (R-Morris), oppose embryonic stem cell research on ethical grounds. While DeCroce may sway other Republicans, Democrats hold 49 of the 80 Assembly seats. The measure needs 41 votes to pass.
?The governor is working hard to build a coalition to get this passed,? says Eric Shuffler, counselor to Codey. ?It?s one of his top priorities. We remain very optimistic.?
So optimistic, in fact, that the administration is also working behind the scenes to push a separate bill that would provide $230 million over 10 years to stem cell researchers. That program would also be funded by a bond issue, but one that would have to go on the November 2006 ballot for approval by voters.
Shuffler said Codey considers the issue a priority for a couple of reasons: ?First, stem cell research has unique potential to save lives. And two, New Jersey is uniquely positioned to benefit from jobs and [economic] development in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.?
Scientists believe stem cells, from which all other types of cells can grow, could be helpful in treating an array of conditions, including Alzheimer?s disease, Parkinson?s disease, diabetes and spinal cord injuries.
To pull this off, Codey will need every vote he can get in the Assembly, and his office has been negotiating with Cohen for his support. Cohen was a founder of the New Jersey Stem Cell Research and Education Foundation that seeks to encourage stem cell research in the state. He says the administration?s plan still doesn?t call for spending enough on grants to scientists.
Cohen countered Codey?s plan with his own bill, introduced in February. It calls for spending $500 million over 10 years. Cohen says he is optimistic that his talks with the governor?s office will produce a compromise bill that could include about $350 million in research funding.
Even then, Cohen says, there would still be much to sort out: Who would disburse the money? How would the grant process work? Would the state get paid back for grants? Would the state collect royalties on any research that leads to a successful medication or therapy?
Under Cohen?s bill, grants would be repaid; Codey?s bill calls for the state to retain ownership of a percentage of any resulting intellectual property. After compromises, ?it may well be that neither will be the case and it may just be a percentage of royalties or a percentage of sales,? Cohen says.
While Cohen supports building labs, he believes the New Brunswick building is too much for too many. ?A lot of people think that nine-story building would be only for stem cell research, but it is planned to hold the [New Jersey] Cancer Institute and other offices,? Cohen says. ?Add parking and only three of the nine floors are for stem cell research.?
Shuffler, the governor?s counsel, says, ?The building will be used mainly by medical research. There may be other entities, such as administration. Once you build something, other entities often want to be part of that building.?
In addition to questions of how much to spend and on what, politics could be holding the bills back. The Assembly is up for reelection this November. Some observers think that Assembly Speaker Albio Sires (D-Hudson) and other Democrats may be going slow for fear that a ballot question would draw conservative voters who oppose the research to the polls.
Even if Codey fails to move forward on the issue before he leaves office in January, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jon Corzine is also a strong supporter of stem cell research and has made it clear he will take up the cause should be become governor.
For now, the state?s stem cell research is centered in Piscataway, where the 3-year-old Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey operates out of Rutgers University.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Commission on Science & Technology is planning to disburse $5 million to stem cell researchers. Ira Black, a neuroscientist at UMDNJ and founding director of the institute, hopes there will be more money to come.
?There is no question that a signature building that centralizes the research is very important for recruiting as well as for performance of research,? he says. ?Research funding allows us to redouble our recruitment efforts and redouble our work. It will foster the continued emergence of New Jersey as a leader in stem cell research.?
Some would say California, which allocated $3 billion over 10 years to stem cell research, is the undisputed leader, but its effort has been slowed by legal challenges to the way the funds are disbursed. Other states entering the fray?all looking for an economic boom?include Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts and Wisconsin.
?There is remarkable opportunity for new startups, expansion within multinational pharmaceutical companies and collaborations between the academic and private sectors,? Black says.
But whether the Assembly will pass the funding measures is something Black is unwilling to forecast. ?In terms of predicting the wisdom of the legislature,? the neuroscientist says, ?that is well beyond anything of which I am capable.?
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