Wikimedia Commons, Blargh29 Arlen Specter, former Pennsylvania senator and high-profile champion of biomedical science, died last week (October 14) at his home in Philadelphia. His family said the cause was complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system, one of several major illnesses Specter had battled in recent years. Specter was a strong advocate for government support of translational research, particularly cancer research, and a vocal supporter of human embryonic stem cell research.
“He had the nobility of character and conviction of principle to stand against the President, from his own party, in support of the whole range of stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research,” Robert Klein, founding chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in San Francisco, told The Scientist in an email. “With human trials expected to be continued on paralysis and new trials expected within the next 24 months for diabetes and stroke, a new frontier of medicine—a medical revolution—has been launched, that was critically dependent on his singular dedication to protecting medical science from ideology, for the benefit of patients.”
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), described Specter as “a towering champion for biomedical research and ...
