Tell Congress Stem Cell Research Must Move Forward.

Dear Friend,

Stem cell research could provide a path to eradicating HIV/AIDS, but politics are getting in the way.

Tell Congress stem cell research could be important in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Existing federal restrictions are seriously hampering progress in stem cell research. But you can help change that.

In the next 48 hours, the Senate will vote to determine federal funding for critical health programs and medical research, including stem cell research. Increased research using embryonic stem cells could open doors to new treatments for HIV/AIDS and ultimately a cure.

We must pursue every option that could bring us closer to developing a cure for HIV/AIDS.

Try telling 25-year-old Cameron Siemers otherwise. As Cameron can attest, living with HIV/AIDS can be incredibly difficult. His disease has confounded researchers and clinicians alike, as Cameron has developed resistance to one AIDS medication after another.

For Cameron and many others who have grown up HIV-positive, developing resistance to AIDS medicines is unfortunately common. With so few AIDS drugs available, particularly for children, resistance to one or two medicines means even fewer drugs available to fight the disease. And when those options run out, children suffer and even die.

But with additional research, there is hope.

Embryonic stem cells can grow and differentiate into any of the body's cells, tissues, or organs. This could hold great promise for HIV/AIDS, if stem cells could be grown to regenerate infection-fighting cells -- essential in fighting off disease and overcoming HIV/AIDS.

The consequences of not pursuing all avenues of research could be deadly. Contact your senators today and tell them what thousands of scientists, including recent Nobel laureates, already recognize -- that promising stem cell research should be allowed to move forward.

Thanks for speaking out,

Diane E. Thompson
Vice President for Public Policy and Communications
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation