[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 130 (Monday, October 11, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PANCREATIC ISLET CELL TRANSPLANTATION ACT OF 2004

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 2004

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3858, the 
Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act. As a cosponsor of H.R. 3858, 
I recognize that this bill will aid the medical community as it learns 
more about the potential of islet cell transplantation. More 
importantly, it will help increase the supply of pancreata that can be 
used for islet transplantation, while also better coordinating the 
efforts of those involved in the process. Innovations in this field can 
help people suffering from Type I diabetes to live without daily 
injections of insulin.
  According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 18.2 
million diabetics in America, a figure that accounts for 6.3 percent of 
our population. The Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act is a 
strong step forward on the path to significantly improving the quality 
of life for these Americans.
  Individuals with Type I diabetes are dependent on insulin injections 
because their own immune systems destroy the islet beta cells that 
create insulin. Islet transplantation involves taking islet cells from 
a donor pancreas and implanting them into a recipient where the beta 
cells from the islets begin to make and release insulin. The goal is to 
eventually be able to infuse enough islets so that diabetics can 
control their glucose levels without needing painful insulin 
injections.
  By ensuring the certification or recertification of islet 
transplantations and research under the Public Health Service Act, this 
bill will aid in further developing this medical breakthrough. This 
bill will break down barriers that now stand in the way of this 
treatment. Also, by mandating an annual assessment on pancreatic islet 
cell transplantation, we can guarantee that this procedure and the 
Americans who need it are not forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, when a moment is at hand where we can improve the health 
of the citizens of our great country, it is incumbent upon us to do so. 
The Pancreatic Islet Cell Transplantation Act of 2004 presents us with 
precisely one of those moments. I commend the gentleman from Washington 
for bringing this legislation to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to 
support it.

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