Sen. Orrin Hatch To Receive
ASBMT Public Service Award

Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a leading congressional advocate for cancer research, blood and marrow transplantation and stem cell research, will receive the 2006 ASBMT Public Service Award.  The award will be presented at the BMT Tandem Meetings on Feb. 18 in Honolulu.

“Senator Hatch has worked tirelessly in the Senate to advance early diagnosis, treatment and cures for cancer,” said ASBMT President Nelson J. Chao, M.D.  “He has been a major supporter of cancer research legislation and worked to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health over the past five years.”

Sen. Hatch has been a leading proponent of government support for an infrastructure for umbilical cord blood stem cell collection, storage and distribution and peer-reviewed research on the use of cord blood cells.  This past year he was the lead sponsor of a bill to support cord blood transplantation.

He also has been a congressional advocate of research in the field of regenerative medicine, exploring the role of stem cells in relation to the approximately 200 types of tissue that comprise the human body.  “Regenerative medicine promises to significantly increase our understanding of many diseases and overall human development,” Dr. Chao said.  “More than 100 million Americans suffer from diseases such as breast and ovarian cancer, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease and all could potentially benefit from this research.”

The society’s annual meeting, the BMT Tandem Meetings, is a joint scientific meeting with the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) to be held Feb. 16-20 in Honolulu.