Science & Technology 
Science and Technology
Science and Technology 
Mon, January 12, 2009
Millipore Corporation Supports President-Elect Obama's Plans to Review Stem Cell Research Policy
BILLERICA, Mass.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--[ Millipore Corporation ] (NYSE:MIL), a leading provider of technologies, tools and services for the global life science industry, today announced it would support President-elect Barack Obama's plans to review and possibly reverse an executive order that currently restricts federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The comments were made by Millipore Chairman, President and CEO Martin Madaus at the [ JP Morgan Healthcare Conference ] being held this week in San Francisco, California.
"Stem cell research offers enormous potential to treat and perhaps even cure many of today's most devastating health problems," said Madaus. "Recognizing this potential, Millipore is deeply committed to supporting stem cell researchers by providing the products and services they need to advance their work, with the ultimate goal of preserving and improving human life. We would fully support the President-elect's efforts to expand opportunities for stem cell research."
President-elect Obama and key Democratic congressional leaders have indicated that repealing restrictions made by the Bush Administration will be a priority after the Obama inauguration.
Millipore has invested significant resources in the advancement of [ stem cell research ]. In addition to its own dedicated team of scientists, the company has sponsored stem cell research and training programs at leading academic institutions around the world, including the Burnham Institute in San Diego, the Australian Stem Cell Center in Melbourne and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
"Many of our customers today are constrained in their ability to pursue potentially life saving research due to President Bush's 2001 executive order," said Geoffrey Crouse, Vice President of [ Millipore's Life Science Strategic Business Unit ]. "Our customers maintain high research standards but are unable to work with specific cell lines due to current restrictions. At Millipore we support ethical stem cell research and collaborate with researchers around the world to better understand biological mechanisms, test drugs for toxicity and find cures for life-threatening diseases. We strongly support federal funding of human stem cell research."
Millipore is a leader in the human embryonic stem cell research market, supplying customers on the forefront of biomedical research with a comprehensive line of stem cell products including human and murine stem cells. Since 1999, the company has been the market leader in providing tools for mouse stem cell research. In 2005, Millipore took the first commercial license for research products from the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, allowing the sale of products validated for human embryonic stem cell research. The company also owns exclusive rights to commercialize and distribute stem cell reagents developed by the Australian Stem Cell center, including the first commercially available human embryonic stem cell lines.
About Millipore
Millipore (NYSE: MIL) is a Life Science leader providing cutting-edge technologies, tools, and services for bioscience research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. As a strategic partner, we collaborate with customers to confront the world's challenging human health issues. From research to development to production, our scientific expertise and innovative solutions help customers tackle their most complex problems and achieve their goals. Millipore Corporation is an S&P 500 company with more than 6,000 employees in 47 countries worldwide. For more information, visit [ www.millipore.com ]