BUSINESS: Community colleges, universities asked to join stem cell program May 11, 2008
About 10 grants are expected to be awarded early next year by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the program's formal name. "It's pretty neat," said Michael Fino, head of the biotechnology program at Miracosta College. (North County Times)
Stanford gets $43 million for stem-cell research May 9, 2008
The grants were issued by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, an agency created by the voters when Proposition 71 was approved in 2004. The funding comes from the sale of 30-year bonds and not from the state budget. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
UC Davis nets $20M stem cell grant May 8, 2008
The school will be designated as a "CIRM Institute" focusing on basic stem cell research, preclinical development of treatments and clinical research ... The university has previously received more than $14 million in various grants from CIRM. It is home to a -designated Center for Excellence in Translational Human Stem Cell Research that focuses on stem and progenitor cell therapies for the treatment of childhood diseases, including those that affect the blood and kidneys. (Bizjournals.com)
Stem cell board OKs $271 million for 12 construction projects May 8, 2008
Bob Klein, chairman of CIRM's governing board, said the 12 projects create a "portfolio of excellence" that is a substitute for lack of federal research funds ... 6 million in CIRM money ... CIRM will provide $34. (San Francisco Business Journal)
California promotes researches on stem cells May 8, 2008
LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) awarded 12 academic and non-profit institutions on Wednesday with funds worth 271 million dollars to promote researches on human embryonic stem cells ... To date, the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which governs the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has allocated more than 530 million dollars. (Xinhua)
Stem Cell Researchers Demonstrate Safety Of Gene Therapy Using Adult Stem Cells May 8, 2008
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has recommended funding for this new facility to help bring a wide range of stem cell therapy cures to patients throughout California. According to Nolta, the results of the current study will allow UC Davis to move forward with increased certainty as it prepares for clinical trials. (Science Daily)
Stem-cell cash flows May 8, 2008
Spencer Brown CIRM President Alan Trounson is working to plug the gap in funding ... The CIRM funds would set off an estimated $832 million stem-cell research building boom -- the largest outlay of cash for stem cell facilities ever -- over the next two-plus years ... The hope, CIRM backers say, is that therapies and tests for a wide range of health issues, from spinal cord injuries to Alzheimer's disease, reach human clinical trials within seven years. (San Francisco Business Times, CA)
Stem cell agency grants $271 million despite abortion foes May 8, 2008
A dozen universities and research centers will receive funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion stem cell research agency that Californians approved through Proposition 71 in 2004. The largest grant to a single campus will go to Stanford University for $43. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
$271 million in stem cell grants OKd May 8, 2008
When those grants are supplemented by money raised privately by the various applicants, the total value of the new labs is $833 million, according to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state stem cell agency created by passage of Proposition 71 in 2004 ... The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine on Wednesday awarded $271 million in taxpayer-funded grants to support construction of a dozen stem cell labs throughout the state. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
UC Merced to get $4.36m stem-cell grant May 8, 2008
36 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine ... "You can look and see how the cell changes, due to these different environmental conditions."California voters in 2004 approved a ballot measure creating the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which regulates stem cell research as well as providing funds through grants and loans. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
California Institute for Regenerative Medicine OKs $271M for 12 construction projects May 8, 2008
Members: Not Registered. for free extra services. (East Bay Business Times, CA)
Stem cell group gets its first building block May 8, 2008
It created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to distribute the grant money that makes the state the world's biggest funder of stem cell research. Proposition 71 limits investment in infrastructure to 10 percent of its overall funding, or $300 million. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Stem cell grants awarded May 8, 2008
Investment in research infrastructure to extend California's state-of-the-art research capacity is a critical part of the strategic plan established by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The institute was created under Proposition 71, a $3 billion bond initiative approved by state voters in November 2004, to fund stem cell research. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Researchers eye S.D. stem cell lab Apr 21, 2008
Issues ranging from who will be the boss to fear of losing donations, or disputes over who will own scientific discoveries, often kill such partnerships before they start, said Zach Hall, founding president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. It's a testament to the vitality and sense of community that is in San Diego that this has happened, said Hall, who is now retired. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Stem Cell Research Leads To Potential New Therapy For Rare Blood Disorder Apr 10, 2008
Funded in part by a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the study will be published in Cancer Cell on April 8, 2008 ... D., TargeGen Inc., San Diego; and Jeffrey Durocher, PH.D., Transgenomic Inc., Gaithersberg, MD. The study was funded in part by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Mizrahi Family Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (K23HL04409) and an unrestricted gift from TargeGen Inc.. (Science Daily)
FDA to vet embryonic stem cells safety Apr 9, 2008
No decisions will be made at the meeting, but the process should eventually lead to guidelines from the FDA about required preclinical studies, trial design and patient follow-up, says Marie Csete, chief scientific officer at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). This will be of great interest to investors, who hope to gain clues about the FDAs expectations. (Nature News Service)
Cooperation puts drug on fast track Apr 9, 2008
Scientists involved in the drug's development, and the head of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, said the work is an example of how a collaboration of researchers from competing academic institutions and industry can speed the long and expensive process of drug discovery. Generally, it takes five to 10 years from the time a promising drug is discovered until it's ready for clinical trials. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Scripps starts center focused on stem cells Mar 28, 2008
An intensive human embryonic stem cell laboratory course, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, will be offered this fall, and the center will be the site of the San Diego-area training course supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The potential of stem cell research is vast, Lerner said. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Stanford, Berkeley launch major stem-cell effort Mar 18, 2008
"Collaboration of this type between California's two top-ranking universities not only pushes research forward in exciting directions, it creates a powerful magnet for new scientific talent," said Ed Penhoet, vice chair of the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The new institute will bring together physician-scientists, biologists, chemists, engineers and computer scientists. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Let stem cell program do its job Mar 16, 2008
Another bill to micro-manage California's stem cell program ("Bill takes aim at CIRM governance," Feb. 22) ... Ever since we voted it into office, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has been under constant attack ... Unfortunately, the Kuehl/Runner bill is more dangerous than just another investigation: tying up the time of the CIRM's small staff, distracting them from their rightful jobs. (East Bay Business Times, CA)
Stem cell institute names its chief scientific officer Mar 16, 2008
Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a well-known stem cell researcher, said it was Csete's clinical and research experience, as well as expertise in immunology issues, that give her the critical skills needed for what is one of the top four positions at the institute. We are delighted that Marie has chosen to relocate to California to join the CIRM, Trounson said. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Role Of Tiny RNAs In Controlling Stem Cell Fate Identified Mar 10, 2008
"Our findings provide insight into the fine regulation of cells and genes that is needed for a heart to form," said Kathy Ivey, PhD, a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) postdoctoral fellow and lead author on the study. "By better understanding this complicated system, in the future, we may be able to identify ways to treat or prevent childhood and adult diseases that affect the heart.". (Science Daily)
Stem Cell Technique Improves Genetic Alteration Mar 9, 2008
UCI has applied to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a facilities grant to build the structure. This study appears online in the journal Stem Cells. (Science Daily)
Stem cell therapy breakthrough Mar 7, 2008
The majority of the financial support for the Gladstone-UCSF study came from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a $3 billion taxpayer-supported stem cell research funding program created through the passage of a state voter initiative in 2004. E-mail Bernadette Tansey at. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Our View: Thumbs up, thumbs down Mar 6, 2008
Sadly, voters endorsed that very concept when they passed Proposition 71 in 2004, creating the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and its "infrastructure" grants. We'd be far more impressed if stem cell research advanced on its own merits in the private sector, which stands to profit handsomely from taxpayers' generosity. (Appeal Democrat, CA)
Stem cell grant applicants to match funds Mar 1, 2008
The governing board for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is scheduled to award those grants during its May meeting ... "Any way you cut it, this is one of the largest investments to be made in scientific research facilities ever," said Ellen Rose, a spokeswoman for the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Donations bolster bid for stem cell institute funds Mar 1, 2008
Robert Klein, chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, called the generosity of the private donors remarkable. We hope to be able to exceed our goal of delivering two dollars in research facility investment for every one dollar of state funding from (the institute), Klein said. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Schwarzenegger Calls SF Stem Cell Center Key To Helping Economy Feb 29, 2008
-- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger praised the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Thursday and said its grant program provides exactly the kind of infrastructure needed to revitatlize the state's economy. The San Francisco stem cell institute's program is expected to generate approximately $750 million for new stem cell research facilities throughout the state, according to officials. (NBC 11, CA)
Benchmark founder, CIRM aim to stay young at heart Feb 25, 2008
While they focus on different areas -- Rachleff's grants on cancer and CIRM's cash on stem cells -- they have a common goal: Keep young researchers focused on novel technologies and treatments ... CIRM, the agency funded by $3 billion in state bonds, in December awarded 22 grants totaling $54 million to M.D. and Ph. (San Francisco Business Times, CA)
Consumer Group Welcomes Introduction of Stem Cell Agency Oversight Bill Feb 23, 2008
"We've seen too many cases where companies benefit from publicly funded research and then set prices at obscene levels. They act like socialists when seeking research funding but are greedy capitalists when there are profits on the table." FTCR said the leadership of the stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), too frequently operates as if it were not a state agency. "SB 1565 is an important reminder that it is a public agency and that the Legislature should... (PR Newswire)
Bill takes aim at CIRM governance, stem cell research payback Feb 23, 2008
71, the voter-approved measure in November 2004 that called for the state to sell stem cell bonds, does not ensure that uninsured Californians and programs that serve low-income residents have access to or get the best prices for therapies that emerge from CIRM-funded research. The Kuehl-Runner bill requires that publicly funded programs get the best prices for stem cell therapies and drugs by requiring CIRM grant winners and licensees to sell them to those programs at a price that does not... (San Jose Business Journal)
Novocell zeroing in on diabetes therapy Feb 22, 2008
I think this is a really good start, although there are still problems and more work to be done, said Alan Trounson, the president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Novocell is trying to create one of the harder lineages to work on, he said. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Slow Calif. science plan a lesson for Mass. Feb 11, 2008
"It's too early," said Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the agency charged with administering the stem cell funds ... To date, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has approved 156 research grants totaling $260 million, which the institute says is the largest source of funding for embryonic stem cell research in the world. (Boston Globe)
California stem cell institute gets 50 applications for cell line funding Feb 11, 2008
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine said Friday it accepted 50 applications for its New Cell Lines Awards. Thirty eight applications came from nonprofit organizations and 12 came from for-profit companies, San Francisco-based said. (San Francisco Business Journal)
California stem cell institute gets 50 funding requests Feb 9, 2008
Thirty eight applications were received from non-profit organizations and 12 from for-profit companies, San Francisco-based CIRM said. The CIRM New Cell Lines Awards will fund up to 16 awards of up to $25 million to support the derivation and propagation of new lines of pluripotent human stem cells that will have research and clinical application for understanding, diagnosing and treating serious injury and disease ... CIRM said pluripotent stem cells have the potential to play a key role in... (San Jose Business Journal)
Stem cell institute wants to make loans Feb 3, 2008
If we can do that, we can loan significantly larger amounts, have a broader portfolio of distribution, said Robert Klein, chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. And over a period of 15 years, $500 million in a program like this where you can just recover capital. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
California stem cell institute approves more grant money Jan 22, 2008
The Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has approved Part 1 Major Facility Grants applications from 12 California institutions. The Committee also approved a new request for application (RFA) concept for $41 million in new faculty awards. (San Jose Business Journal, CA)
SDCRM Receives Highest Score in Three of Four Categories from CIRM on Part I of Major Facilities Grant Application Jan 19, 2008
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- The San Diego Consortium for Regenerative Medicine (SDCRM) today announced that it has received the highest score in three of four categories from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) on Part I of the Major Facilities Grant Application ... California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Summaries of Scientific Review Reports (Grants Working Group) Major Facilities Grant RFA-07-03 Element --------------------------- X Y Z... (PR Newswire)
Embryonic stem cell cloner looking for partners Jan 19, 2008
That program, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, has begun accepting grant applications from for-profit companies. "We're considering all avenues," French said. (North County Times)
Local stem cell research group advances in quest for grant Jan 19, 2008
The board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine included San Diego's proposal among 12 requests for funding of major research facilities that will advance to a second round of judging. Five proposals were not passed through to the second round. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Successful embryo cloning documented Jan 17, 2008
Officials at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which is pouring $3 billion into stem cell research over the next decade, were excited about the company's work and the avenues it paves. It's great to see them make progress in SCNT in human cells, said Richard Murphy, outgoing president of the stem cell institute. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
USC researchers identify mechanism that controls activation of stem cells during hair regeneration Jan 17, 2008
The study was funded by National Institutes of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute of Aging, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Research Councils U.K.. Maksim V. Plikus, Julie Ann Mayer, Damon de La Cruz, Ruth E. Baker, Philip K. Maini, Robert Maxson and Cheng-Ming Chuong. (EurekAlert!)
57 applications for California stem cell institute funds Jan 16, 2008
According to CIRM, 42 applications were received from non-profit organizations and 15 from for-profit companies ... CIRM, which was established in 2004 with the passage of Proposition 71, expects to fund up to 16 new cell lines awards for three years and will support a broad range of research that uses the full spectrum of human cell types and experimental approaches. (San Jose Business Journal)
Firm proves its stem cell work won't destroy embryos Jan 12, 2008
But the advance could ease the pressure on the Bush administration to relax the funding limits on embryo-derived stem cells, said Alan Trounson, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine ... Trounson said the company's study will not change grant-making policies at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which supports work on stem cells derived from embryos that are destroyed, as well as stem cells derived from adult cells. (San Francisco Chronicle)
California's stem cell program: Legal triumphs, conflict challenges, hopes for cures Jan 6, 2008
In response to this restriction, supporters of human embryonic stem cell research enacted Proposition 71 in 2004, establishing the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to fund the research. (Non-embryonic stem cell research is also funded. (North County Times)
Industry and academia team up Jan 6, 2008
The 10 companies, as well as 56 teams from universities and nonprofit research institutes, have sent letters to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, stating they intend to apply for grants of up to $55,000. The deadline for applications is the end of this month. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Stanford beefs up stem-cell research funding Jan 3, 2008
Each team will receive $50,000 over the next six months to prepare more detailed funding requests from California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the state agency that funds stem cell research ... Stanford's Institute for Stem Cell Biology has been awarded $41 million in grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, more than any other individual institution. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
New Way To Sort Stem Cells Discovered Dec 30, 2007
UCI is applying to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a facilities grant to build the structure. This study appears online Dec. 20 in the journal Stem Cells. (Science Daily)
Conflict hounds institute Dec 29, 2007
Both affairs -- one involving a grant in which a board member lobbied staff on behalf of his institution, the other involving endorsements for grants for young researchers -- come as CIRM continues to parcel out pieces of the world's largest single pot of embryonic stem cell research cash. In neither case was grant money awarded because CIRM staff flagged the applications ... Yet some who closely follow CIRM say the agency and its Independent Citizens Oversight Committee -- made up of academics,... (San Francisco Business Times, CA)
UC Merced teacher wins stem-cell grant Dec 20, 2007
58 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) that will fund her stem-cell research over the next five years ... Manilay, who is a Harvard-educated immunologist, theorizes that the bone marrow stem cells transplanted into a patient can help the body accept the embryonic stem cell-derived transplanted tissue without it being attacked by the immune system, a process known as "immunological tolerance."Manilay is not the first UC Merced professor to receive a grant... (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Stanford, Berkeley, UCSF, Buck get nod for stem cell facility grants Dec 17, 2007
The grants, which will be awarded in April after a second-round review, will fund new facilities, expand research capacity and improvements that CIRM officials have said could lead to $500 million in capital projects related to stem cell research. CIRM is funded from California voters' approval in 2004 of $3 billion in bond sales ... The major facilities grants would be the most visible awards, though CIRM to date has granted 156 research and small facilities grants totaling nearly $260 million.... (San Francisco Business Journal)
San Diego in line for stem cell facility Dec 16, 2007
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine announced yesterday that a $50 million facilities grant application filed by a consortium of San Diego institutes University of California San Diego, Salk Research Institute, Scripps Research Institute and Burnham Institute for Medical Research has passed through the first level of judging. The scientific experiments proposed for San Diego's new center, which run the gamut from basic stem cell research to translating those discoveries into... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Stem Cell Agency 'Disclosure' Makes Mockery of Claims of Openness and Transparency Dec 15, 2007
"We only know what the scientific reviewers in their closed, clubby, secret meeting decided to recommend." The stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), released the names of 12 institutions that were recommended by a panel of out-of-state scientists for one of three categories of grants ... "The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine is not a private club or foundation. It's a state agency doing the public's business and needs to be run that way."... (PR Newswire)
Stanford stem cell researchers get $10.7 million Dec 14, 2007
7 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). They received multi-year grants of between $2. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Stanford wins $10.7M in stem cell research grants Dec 14, 2007
CIRM, which oversees some $3 billion in state funding for stem cell work, has given Stanford a total of $41 million so far ... This round of CIRM grants was aimed at scientists early in their careers, who often have trouble finding money for their work ... CIRM was created by state voters in 2005. (San Francisco Business Times, CA)
Talkin' about regeneration Dec 14, 2007
Within the next two weeks Trounson will take up the top stem-cell job in the world as president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in San Francisco, where he will oversee a $3. 4 billion research budget to try to turn the much-hyped hope for stem cells into reality during the next decade. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Stem cell agency hands out $54 million to young scientists Dec 14, 2007
The New Faculty Awards given by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will benefit nearly two dozen researchers who have recently received their medical or doctoral degrees, according to the agency. Recipients include four scientists at Stanford University, who will share more than $10 million; three researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, who will spilt more than $7 million; and two scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, who will receive nearly... (Fresno Bee -- State)
5 local scientists get slice of stem cell research pie Dec 14, 2007
This is an opportunity to build the intellectual infrastructure that will carry this critical new field of research forward in California's leading universities, medical schools and research institutes, said Robert Klein, chairman of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Grant proposals from 10 scientists, including some from UCSD and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, were thrown out. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Business)
Fair Political Practices Commission Will Investigate Stem Cell Conflict of Interest Dec 11, 2007
"However, he has never understood that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is a state agency. It's time he passed the torch to someone who understands. CIRM is not a private foundation and cannot be run as if it were." After the Reed case surfaced and FTCR filed its complaint, State Controller John Chiang announced plans to audit the agency and also called for an FPPC investigation. At its meeting on Wednesday in Los Angeles the oversight board will consider awarding up to... (PR Newswire)
State stem cell agency rejects 10 grant applications Dec 11, 2007
But the state-financed California Institute for Regenerative Medicine declined to identify which grants were dinged and which board members potentially violated conflict-of-interest rules by signing the letters meant to bolster the case for grant approval. Sources have told The Chronicle that four of the institutions whose young scientists lost out on their grant applications were UCSF, UCLA, the University of Southern California and UC San Diego. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Stem cell institute criticized on ethics Dec 9, 2007
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine announced yesterday that it would not consider 10 of the 59 grant applications it received from researchers hoping to participate in the latest round of state stem cell funding because of potential conflicts of interest with its board members. The initial incident involved John Reed, chief executive officer of the Burnham Institute in La Jolla and a member of the stem cell institute's board, who sent a letter to the institute's staff in an... (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Letters to the Editor Dec 5, 2007
The letter insinuates an imaginary "scandal" involving funds of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), alleging "hundreds of thousands of dollars were misappropriated.". While reasonable minds may differ on strategies to move science forward to develop cures and treatments for chronic disease, we should all agree that slandering those who disagree with us is out-of-bounds. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Close Scrutiny Needed as First Stem Cell Grants Offered to For-Profit Companies, Consumers Say Dec 1, 2007
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has just issued calls for applications for two types of grants. CIRM said it planned to fund up to 20 six-month disease team planning grants for a total of $1. (PR Newswire)
Controller looks into stem cell institute issues Nov 30, 2007
Created by voters in 2004, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has the worthy mission of finding cures for diseases and advancing basic biological science. But because of the way this institute was structured through Proposition 71, its management is rife with potential conflicts. (Fresno Bee)
more reader opinions Nov 30, 2007
29) rightly decries the lack of public oversight at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. But the recent scandal there, where hundreds of thousands of dollars were misappropriated, is a systematic problem of government financial support for medical research and not an aberration. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
