At 11:30am this morning, in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican Press Office, there was a Press Conference conducted in order to present the upcoming International Conference entitled Regenerative Medicine: fundamental changes in science and in culture. The Conference in question will be held at the Vatican, in the new Synod Hall this weekend - April 11-13.
Addressing the Press on this occasion were His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Commission for Culture; Doctor Robin Smith, Designated Administrator of NeoStem and President of the Stem for Life Foundation; and Monsignor Tomaz Trafny, a member of the Scientific Department of the Pontifical Commission for Culture.
Intervention presented by Doctor Robin Smith
Thank you all so much for coming this morning, and thank you Cardinal Ravasi and Monsignor Trafny.
In 2010, the Stem for Life Foundation began a miraculous partnership with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture. Together, we would join hands and embark on a bold mission – to educate the world on the ability of adult stem cell therapies to cure countless diseases and dangerous medical conditions. And at the center of this mission, at its very epicenter, was a rigorous commitment to ethical science. We wanted to demonstrate that to address global suffering, one does not have to choose between their faith and science, that these two ideas fit together symbiotically.
In November 2011 the Pontifical Council for Culture, STOQ International, together with NeoStem and the Stem for Life Foundation, hosted the First International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference and began delivering this message. News of our efforts echoed around the world. People listened, conversations began, hope flourished, a new perspective was shared. And now the world is watching us once again.
I can remember being in this room before our first event, and Cardinal Ravasi saying that this partnership was not about telling people what not to do, but that it was about telling people what they should be doing. So it was never about an argument, the dispute over embryonic stem cell science, but rather, it was about educating humanity on what can be done right now with adult stem cell therapies and the possibilities for the future. And to me, that has always defined our mission – the idea that together we will foster an inclusive and loving message, one directed toward suffering, healing and hope.
w
And not only did we do that at our first event, but together with Monsignor Tomasz Trafny of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, we wrote a book entitled, The Healing Cell, and I have copies of it here for everyone. This book is now in bookstores and on amazon.com and it is truly historic. In simple and clear language that anyone can understand, it tells the story of these powerful adult stem cell therapies. It tells real stories about men, women and children who’s lives have been saved or transformed. It brings hope to those who are suffering. It features the address that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI gave to us in a private audience at the close of our first conference. We thanked the Holy Father for his incredible words of wisdom, and I want to thank him again today for his support and leadership on these issues. And of course, we are incredibly excited with the election of Pope Francis and we hope we will have the opportunity to meet him. I understand he is a trained chemist, so we look forward to working under his guidance and support of the ethical science of adult stem cells.
Now I want to talk briefly about the days ahead. Our Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference starts on Thursday and will advance our mission to educate the world on the power and promise of these therapies - to make sure this science is described in a way that is accessible to everyone - we have politicians and the most incredible scientists from around the world working to find adult stem cell cures. We have Church leaders, ethicists and educators and we are honored to have the world’s most renowned journalists serving as moderators this year. We have Meredith Vieira from NBC News, Bill Hemmer from the Fox News Channel, Peggy Noonan from the Wall Street Journal, Richard Cohen and Dr. Max Gomez from WCBS-TV. This year we will be giving awards. This special recognition is going to real people, children and adults, whose lives have been saved or transformed by adult stem cell therapies and who are now advocating for this cause. We will be awarding scientists who pioneered these therapies and the philanthropists who had the vision and generosity to bring these cures out of the petri dish and into the world.
Our first day will be hosted by Meredith Vieira of NBC News. It will be an amazing start to this event. First, we’ll look back at how far we’ve come in the last 30 years of adult stem cell therapies – how it all began with bone marrow transplants for cancer patients. And then we’ll look at present-day breakthroughs in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. We’ll have patients who will share their own personal stories. A man who had a major heart attack will share his story. Doctors extracted his own adult stem cells, or ‘healing cells, as I like to call them, and injected them into his heart through a stent, in an effort to prevent the damage a heart attack usually causes. And we’ll honor a little girl who had a pioneering adult stem cell therapy for a rare and dangerous disease. You’ll learn more about her on Thursday, so I hope you’ll come to meet her. And we’ll be joined by the world’s leading thought leaders on adult stem cell therapies. They’ll talk about the global field of regenerative medicine … the over 4,300 adult stem cell clinical trials now occurring around the world... They’ll talk about the regulatory challenges… how to develop and commercialize these therapies in an effort to complete the work so that these therapies can get to patients as soon as possible … and we’ll honor a legend in the industry, one of the world’s great cellular pioneers … an innovator in the field of regenerative medicine.
Our second day, Friday, will moderated by Bill Hemmer from the Fox News Channel. And on this day we’ll move into the future … we’ll explore the new frontiers of using adult stem cells to treat traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and diabetes … and we’ll also explore the symmetry between science and faith … the idea that these therapies will impact nearly every aspect of our lives … how cultures will change, how society will be transformed, and how these therapies, which come with no ethical blemishes, are the future of personalized medicine. We’ll explore the political arguments that erupted around the world over embryonic stem cell science, and how this argument ultimately clouded global awareness of the ethical research that our partnership is devoted to. Peggy Noonan will moderate this discussion and she will be joined by Tommy Thompson and other renowned political figures and thought leaders. This is an incredibly important discussion … for our mission is one of education, and even in the present day – even with all of these promising adult stem cell clinical trials occurring around the world – the political arguments that erupted over the last 20 years have created great confusion. And to move forward together we must understand how we got here and what lies ahead. Our keynote speech occurs on this day and will be given by Dr. John Gurdon, who, together with Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating that they could revert skin back to an embryonic-like stem cell state. This landmark discovery opens new avenues for ethical science and we are just thrilled to have him join us.
Our final day, Saturday, takes us even further into the future. Now we’ll be looking at adult stem cells and longevity. We’ll examine unique populations which are seemingly immune to some chronic diseases and live long lives. We’ll look at the idea of actually reprogramming an older persons stem cells to act like young stem cells. Renowned doctors and researchers will present unique data which has never been disclosed before on how they are harnessing the healing power within our own bodies to turn back the time clock.
We will also be honoring a very special man who has decided to focus his passion and talent for complex problem solving in the medical discipline, specifically finding breakthrough technologies in the field of cancer and adult stem cell research and ensuring they get proper funding for development. He believes in thinking out of the box when searching for cures. He believes in the power of adult stem cell and that the legacy he can leave his family, and the world as a whole, is to continue his commitment to finding solutions to difficult medical problems.
Before handing things over to Monsignor Trafny, I want to close by discussing one of the greatest additions to our event this year and an expansion of our joint mission. Working with the Pontifical Council for Culture, we will have star students from over 25 different universities and high schools around the world on hand for all three days of our event. These bright minds have a passion for regenerative medicine, and so we have brought them here to inspire them and to teach them that they do not have to choose between their faith and science and that a career in adult stem cell research can foster healing on a global scale. They will then bring this message home with them, and will be tasked with creating a range of local events and initiatives at their schools to help us inspire the next generation of cellular scientists, faith leaders and ethicists.
Thank you so much for letting me speak this morning, and I look forward to seeing you at the conference.
Following the intervention provided by Doctor Smith, Monsignor Trafny was invited to provide his comments on the upcoming conference. Here is a translation of his comments, which were spoken in Italian.
Yesterday, along with His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, I was able to study more deeply the present project and we realized that what we face is much more complex than our initial forecast from a few years ago when we first conceived the path that we have been following. The International Conference which will begin the day after tomorrow, is part of a study that is currently evolving. This is thanks to the generosity, determination and passionate commitment of many people from different communities: the Stem for Life Foundation, along with its President, Doctor Robin Smith and her team; the scientific community, with innumerable persons who we cannot name at the present time; benefactors and journalists as well as pastoral workers at many different levels. Many of them have encouraged and spurred us on to taking a first, almost timid step which has led to a more dynamic and incisive commitment to the project.
There are three series or groups of words that describe our journey. The first series is linked to the objectives we had set for ourselves while preparing for the International Conference of 2011. It is made up of three words: understand - know - study. We wanted to understand what impact research in the area of regenerative medicine in general and adult stem cell research in particular would have on society and culture. The initial part of the journey was logical, in some ways modest - just three words: understand - know - study. It seemed very clear that we could not understand the impact and the cultural dynamics of research without first knowing the research, and we could not know the research without having studied it.
So we embarked on a journey of study, knowledge and reflection, a process which involved many scientists who contributed in many valuable ways, and who all deserve our gratitude. The perspective of constant study and reflection remains valid because research will progress, and we do not want to follow it; we want to accompany it.
But even before the initiative we launched in November 2011, there was a fact that had an influence on our path, and which has led to greater articulation. One of our colleagues and collaborators has journalistically researched and interviewed people, asking them a simple question: What are stem cells? The responses were not at all uniform; in some contexts they could even be considered funny if not for the fact that they showed a great deal of confusion or bewilderment. It was then that we understood that the initial path based on understand - know - study had to be enriched by three more words: translate - form - spread. We realized that contemporary science is increasingly hermetic, impenitrable for the uninitiated, and as such necessitates a translation, without which, at times it becomes difficult if not impossible to follow its developments. So, already the first International Conference indicated a way forward, expressed precicely with the three concepts mentioned above: translate - form - spread. Therefore, we focused mainly on the first (translate), asking the speakers to make their knowledge more accessible to those who do not have a science background, but immediately after the completion of the conference, we were committed to identifying possible ways of developing and disseminating high-level disclosure. The publication of the book The Healing Cell is part of this process, and we are happy that last year, we were able to present it in a work-in-progress edition to the Holy Father, Benedict XVI.
To these two paths, each consisting of three concepts, today we add a third element, three more words which are also connected to each other, which inspire and guide us. These three words are: affect - support - collaborate. In fact, today we feel prompted by a desire to influence society culturally, indicating research models of excellence which are in keeping with the highest moral values of protecting the life and dignity of the human being from the moment of conception. We are however aware that we cannot permanently influence society without constant and sustained support from religious, social and political leaders, as well as from the community of entrepreneurs and benefactors who are ready to commit to developing long-term projects of scientific, bioethical and cultural investigation. Finally, we are convinced that in order to have a significant impact on culture, we must be able to overcome prejudices and antagonisms, promoting the logic of dialogue and collaboration at various levels. This is why we feel called to work with the most prestigeous professors, institutes of research and universities from all parts of the world. We believe in fact that joining forces, we can not only support the efforts of great intrinsic value and of great benefit to humanity, but we may also influence future research, the future of culture and of human perception. This is why we want to invite you, in your roles as journalists, to work with us, to visit us during the coming days while the International Conference is in session. You can transmit the positive, encouraging and optimistic message that the Church supports quality ethical research so that scholars may have no doubt about our commitment, and so that those who struggle with the dramas of degenerative deseases and research might discover the hope for which they wait.
Addressing the Press on this occasion were His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Commission for Culture; Doctor Robin Smith, Designated Administrator of NeoStem and President of the Stem for Life Foundation; and Monsignor Tomaz Trafny, a member of the Scientific Department of the Pontifical Commission for Culture.
 |
| Doctor Robin Smith |
Intervention presented by Doctor Robin Smith
Thank you all so much for coming this morning, and thank you Cardinal Ravasi and Monsignor Trafny.
In 2010, the Stem for Life Foundation began a miraculous partnership with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture. Together, we would join hands and embark on a bold mission – to educate the world on the ability of adult stem cell therapies to cure countless diseases and dangerous medical conditions. And at the center of this mission, at its very epicenter, was a rigorous commitment to ethical science. We wanted to demonstrate that to address global suffering, one does not have to choose between their faith and science, that these two ideas fit together symbiotically.
In November 2011 the Pontifical Council for Culture, STOQ International, together with NeoStem and the Stem for Life Foundation, hosted the First International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference and began delivering this message. News of our efforts echoed around the world. People listened, conversations began, hope flourished, a new perspective was shared. And now the world is watching us once again.
I can remember being in this room before our first event, and Cardinal Ravasi saying that this partnership was not about telling people what not to do, but that it was about telling people what they should be doing. So it was never about an argument, the dispute over embryonic stem cell science, but rather, it was about educating humanity on what can be done right now with adult stem cell therapies and the possibilities for the future. And to me, that has always defined our mission – the idea that together we will foster an inclusive and loving message, one directed toward suffering, healing and hope.
w
And not only did we do that at our first event, but together with Monsignor Tomasz Trafny of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, we wrote a book entitled, The Healing Cell, and I have copies of it here for everyone. This book is now in bookstores and on amazon.com and it is truly historic. In simple and clear language that anyone can understand, it tells the story of these powerful adult stem cell therapies. It tells real stories about men, women and children who’s lives have been saved or transformed. It brings hope to those who are suffering. It features the address that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI gave to us in a private audience at the close of our first conference. We thanked the Holy Father for his incredible words of wisdom, and I want to thank him again today for his support and leadership on these issues. And of course, we are incredibly excited with the election of Pope Francis and we hope we will have the opportunity to meet him. I understand he is a trained chemist, so we look forward to working under his guidance and support of the ethical science of adult stem cells.
Now I want to talk briefly about the days ahead. Our Second International Vatican Adult Stem Cell Conference starts on Thursday and will advance our mission to educate the world on the power and promise of these therapies - to make sure this science is described in a way that is accessible to everyone - we have politicians and the most incredible scientists from around the world working to find adult stem cell cures. We have Church leaders, ethicists and educators and we are honored to have the world’s most renowned journalists serving as moderators this year. We have Meredith Vieira from NBC News, Bill Hemmer from the Fox News Channel, Peggy Noonan from the Wall Street Journal, Richard Cohen and Dr. Max Gomez from WCBS-TV. This year we will be giving awards. This special recognition is going to real people, children and adults, whose lives have been saved or transformed by adult stem cell therapies and who are now advocating for this cause. We will be awarding scientists who pioneered these therapies and the philanthropists who had the vision and generosity to bring these cures out of the petri dish and into the world.
Our first day will be hosted by Meredith Vieira of NBC News. It will be an amazing start to this event. First, we’ll look back at how far we’ve come in the last 30 years of adult stem cell therapies – how it all began with bone marrow transplants for cancer patients. And then we’ll look at present-day breakthroughs in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease and cancer. We’ll have patients who will share their own personal stories. A man who had a major heart attack will share his story. Doctors extracted his own adult stem cells, or ‘healing cells, as I like to call them, and injected them into his heart through a stent, in an effort to prevent the damage a heart attack usually causes. And we’ll honor a little girl who had a pioneering adult stem cell therapy for a rare and dangerous disease. You’ll learn more about her on Thursday, so I hope you’ll come to meet her. And we’ll be joined by the world’s leading thought leaders on adult stem cell therapies. They’ll talk about the global field of regenerative medicine … the over 4,300 adult stem cell clinical trials now occurring around the world... They’ll talk about the regulatory challenges… how to develop and commercialize these therapies in an effort to complete the work so that these therapies can get to patients as soon as possible … and we’ll honor a legend in the industry, one of the world’s great cellular pioneers … an innovator in the field of regenerative medicine.
Our second day, Friday, will moderated by Bill Hemmer from the Fox News Channel. And on this day we’ll move into the future … we’ll explore the new frontiers of using adult stem cells to treat traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and diabetes … and we’ll also explore the symmetry between science and faith … the idea that these therapies will impact nearly every aspect of our lives … how cultures will change, how society will be transformed, and how these therapies, which come with no ethical blemishes, are the future of personalized medicine. We’ll explore the political arguments that erupted around the world over embryonic stem cell science, and how this argument ultimately clouded global awareness of the ethical research that our partnership is devoted to. Peggy Noonan will moderate this discussion and she will be joined by Tommy Thompson and other renowned political figures and thought leaders. This is an incredibly important discussion … for our mission is one of education, and even in the present day – even with all of these promising adult stem cell clinical trials occurring around the world – the political arguments that erupted over the last 20 years have created great confusion. And to move forward together we must understand how we got here and what lies ahead. Our keynote speech occurs on this day and will be given by Dr. John Gurdon, who, together with Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for demonstrating that they could revert skin back to an embryonic-like stem cell state. This landmark discovery opens new avenues for ethical science and we are just thrilled to have him join us.
Our final day, Saturday, takes us even further into the future. Now we’ll be looking at adult stem cells and longevity. We’ll examine unique populations which are seemingly immune to some chronic diseases and live long lives. We’ll look at the idea of actually reprogramming an older persons stem cells to act like young stem cells. Renowned doctors and researchers will present unique data which has never been disclosed before on how they are harnessing the healing power within our own bodies to turn back the time clock.
We will also be honoring a very special man who has decided to focus his passion and talent for complex problem solving in the medical discipline, specifically finding breakthrough technologies in the field of cancer and adult stem cell research and ensuring they get proper funding for development. He believes in thinking out of the box when searching for cures. He believes in the power of adult stem cell and that the legacy he can leave his family, and the world as a whole, is to continue his commitment to finding solutions to difficult medical problems.
Before handing things over to Monsignor Trafny, I want to close by discussing one of the greatest additions to our event this year and an expansion of our joint mission. Working with the Pontifical Council for Culture, we will have star students from over 25 different universities and high schools around the world on hand for all three days of our event. These bright minds have a passion for regenerative medicine, and so we have brought them here to inspire them and to teach them that they do not have to choose between their faith and science and that a career in adult stem cell research can foster healing on a global scale. They will then bring this message home with them, and will be tasked with creating a range of local events and initiatives at their schools to help us inspire the next generation of cellular scientists, faith leaders and ethicists.
Thank you so much for letting me speak this morning, and I look forward to seeing you at the conference.
 |
| His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi |
 |
| Monsignor Tomaz Trafny |
Intervention presented by Monsignor Tomaz Trafny
Yesterday, along with His Eminence, Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi, I was able to study more deeply the present project and we realized that what we face is much more complex than our initial forecast from a few years ago when we first conceived the path that we have been following. The International Conference which will begin the day after tomorrow, is part of a study that is currently evolving. This is thanks to the generosity, determination and passionate commitment of many people from different communities: the Stem for Life Foundation, along with its President, Doctor Robin Smith and her team; the scientific community, with innumerable persons who we cannot name at the present time; benefactors and journalists as well as pastoral workers at many different levels. Many of them have encouraged and spurred us on to taking a first, almost timid step which has led to a more dynamic and incisive commitment to the project.
There are three series or groups of words that describe our journey. The first series is linked to the objectives we had set for ourselves while preparing for the International Conference of 2011. It is made up of three words: understand - know - study. We wanted to understand what impact research in the area of regenerative medicine in general and adult stem cell research in particular would have on society and culture. The initial part of the journey was logical, in some ways modest - just three words: understand - know - study. It seemed very clear that we could not understand the impact and the cultural dynamics of research without first knowing the research, and we could not know the research without having studied it.
So we embarked on a journey of study, knowledge and reflection, a process which involved many scientists who contributed in many valuable ways, and who all deserve our gratitude. The perspective of constant study and reflection remains valid because research will progress, and we do not want to follow it; we want to accompany it.
But even before the initiative we launched in November 2011, there was a fact that had an influence on our path, and which has led to greater articulation. One of our colleagues and collaborators has journalistically researched and interviewed people, asking them a simple question: What are stem cells? The responses were not at all uniform; in some contexts they could even be considered funny if not for the fact that they showed a great deal of confusion or bewilderment. It was then that we understood that the initial path based on understand - know - study had to be enriched by three more words: translate - form - spread. We realized that contemporary science is increasingly hermetic, impenitrable for the uninitiated, and as such necessitates a translation, without which, at times it becomes difficult if not impossible to follow its developments. So, already the first International Conference indicated a way forward, expressed precicely with the three concepts mentioned above: translate - form - spread. Therefore, we focused mainly on the first (translate), asking the speakers to make their knowledge more accessible to those who do not have a science background, but immediately after the completion of the conference, we were committed to identifying possible ways of developing and disseminating high-level disclosure. The publication of the book The Healing Cell is part of this process, and we are happy that last year, we were able to present it in a work-in-progress edition to the Holy Father, Benedict XVI.
To these two paths, each consisting of three concepts, today we add a third element, three more words which are also connected to each other, which inspire and guide us. These three words are: affect - support - collaborate. In fact, today we feel prompted by a desire to influence society culturally, indicating research models of excellence which are in keeping with the highest moral values of protecting the life and dignity of the human being from the moment of conception. We are however aware that we cannot permanently influence society without constant and sustained support from religious, social and political leaders, as well as from the community of entrepreneurs and benefactors who are ready to commit to developing long-term projects of scientific, bioethical and cultural investigation. Finally, we are convinced that in order to have a significant impact on culture, we must be able to overcome prejudices and antagonisms, promoting the logic of dialogue and collaboration at various levels. This is why we feel called to work with the most prestigeous professors, institutes of research and universities from all parts of the world. We believe in fact that joining forces, we can not only support the efforts of great intrinsic value and of great benefit to humanity, but we may also influence future research, the future of culture and of human perception. This is why we want to invite you, in your roles as journalists, to work with us, to visit us during the coming days while the International Conference is in session. You can transmit the positive, encouraging and optimistic message that the Church supports quality ethical research so that scholars may have no doubt about our commitment, and so that those who struggle with the dramas of degenerative deseases and research might discover the hope for which they wait.
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