A bill to intensify research to derive human pluripotent stem cell lines.

Summary: Hope Offered through Principled and Ethical Stem Cell Research Act or the HOPE Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop techniques for the isolation, derivation, production, or testing of stem cells, including pluripotent stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether or not they have an embryonic source), that may result in improved understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health conditions, provided that such techniques do not involve: (1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for research purposes; or (2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, a human embryo of embryos other than those that are naturally dead.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required for additional research; (2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for near-term clinical benefits; (3) take into account techniques outlined by the President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate techniques and research; and (4) require assurances from grant applicants, in the case of research involving stem cells from a naturally dead embryo, that no alteration of the timing, methods, or procedures used to create, maintain, or intervene in the development of a human embryo was made solely for the purpose of deriving the stem cells.

Sets forth reporting requirements.

Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine to conduct a study to: (1) recommend an optimal structure for an amniotic and placental stem cell bank program; and (2) address pertinent issues to maximize the potential of such technology.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Hope Offered through Principled and 
Ethical Stem Cell Research Act'' or the ``HOPE Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    It is the purpose of this Act to--
            (1) intensify research that may result in improved 
        understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse 
        health conditions; and
            (2) promote the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines 
        without the creation of human embryos for research purposes and 
        without the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury to, 
        a human embryo or embryos other than those that are naturally 
        dead.

SEC. 3. HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    Part H of title IV of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 289 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 498C the following:

``SEC. 498D. HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL RESEARCH.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall conduct and support basic 
and applied research to develop techniques for the isolation, 
derivation, production, or testing of stem cells, including pluripotent 
stem cells that have the flexibility of embryonic stem cells (whether 
or not they have an embryonic source), that may result in improved 
understanding of or treatments for diseases and other adverse health 
conditions, provided that the isolation, derivation, production, or 
testing of such cells will not involve--
            ``(1) the creation of a human embryo or embryos for 
        research purposes; or
            ``(2) the destruction or discarding of, or risk of injury 
        to, a human embryo or embryos other than those that are 
        naturally dead.
    ``(b) Guidelines.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary, after consultation with the 
Director of NIH, shall issue final guidelines that--
            ``(1) provide guidance concerning the next steps required 
        for additional research, which shall include a determination of 
        the extent to which specific techniques may require additional 
        animal research to ensure that any research involving human 
        cells using these techniques would clearly be consistent with 
        the standards established under subsection (a);
            ``(2) prioritize research with the greatest potential for 
        near-term clinical benefit;
            ``(3) consistent with standards established under 
        subsection (a), take into account techniques outlined by the 
        President's Council on Bioethics and any other appropriate 
        techniques and research; and
            ``(4) in the case of research involving stem cells from a 
        naturally dead embryo, require assurances from grant applicants 
        that no alteration of the timing, methods, or procedures used 
        to create, maintain, or intervene in the development of a human 
        embryo was made solely for the purpose of deriving the stem 
        cells.
    ``(c) Reporting Requirements.--Not later than January 1 of each 
year, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the appropriate 
committees of the Congress a report describing the activities carried 
out under this section during the fiscal year, including a description 
of the research conducted under this section.
    ``(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be 
construed as altering the policy in effect on the date of enactment of 
this section regarding the eligibility of stem cell lines for funding 
by the National Institutes of Health.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Naturally dead.--The term `naturally dead' means 
        having naturally and irreversibly lost the capacity for 
        integrated cellular division, growth, and differentiation that 
        is characteristic of an organism, even if some cells of the 
        former organism may be alive in a disorganized state.
            ``(2) Human embryo or embryos.--The term `human embryo or 
        embryos' includes any organism, not protected as a human 
        subject under part 46 of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations, 
        as of the date of enactment of this section, that is derived by 
        fertilization, parthenogenesis, cloning, or any other means 
        from one or more human gametes or human diploid cells.
            ``(3) Risk of injury.--The term `risk of injury' means 
        subjecting a human embryo or embryos to risk of injury or death 
        greater than that allowed for research on fetuses in utero 
        under section 46.204(b) of title 45, Code of Federal 
        Regulations, and section 498(b) of this Act.''.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL AMNIOTIC AND PLACENTAL STEM CELL BANK.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
enter into a contract with the Institute of Medicine for the conduct of 
a study to recommend an optimal structure for an amniotic and placental 
stem cell bank program and to address pertinent issues to maximize the 
potential of such technology, including collection, storage, standards 
setting, information sharing, distribution, reimbursement, research, 
and outcome measures. In conducting such study, the Institute should 
receive input from relevant experts including the existing operators of 
federal tissue bank programs and the biomedical research programs 
within the Department of Defense.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Institute of Medicine shall complete the study under 
subsection (a) and submit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
and the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the results of 
such study.

            Passed the Senate April 11, 2007.

            Attest:

                                                NANCY ERICKSON,

                                                             Secretary.