California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

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The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine was created by California's Proposition 71 (2004), which authorized it to issue $3 billion in grants, funded by bonds, over ten years for embryonic stem cell and other biomedical research. It is claimed to be the world's largest single backer of research in stem cells. However, the U.S. Federal government is the largest sponsor of grant money in the world.^[1] In addition, no grant money has ever been issued from the Center.

1 Organization and history
2 External links

[edit] Organization and history

[edit] Organization and leaders

The CIRM governing committee consists of representatives of groups and institutions who are likely to receive funding, including public universities, nonprofit research centers, private biotechnology companies, and disease-specific patient advocates. They were appointed (or, in the case of chair and vice-chair, nominated) by four elected officials and five UC Chancellors.

The chair of the committee is Robert Klein, a Palo Alto real estate developer who helped write and finance the initiative and is hopeful stem cells will provide a cure for his son, who has diabetes. He was unanimously nominated and elected as chairman. He was previously the chair of the Yes on 71 campaign, a chief author of the initiative, and - at $3 million - its largest financial supporter. The campaign operated from the offices of the Klein Financial Corporation. After the vote, the Yes on 71 campaign changed into the California Research and Cures Coalition, a stem cell advocacy organization, with Klein initially at the helm.

The vice-chair of the governing committee is Edward Penhoet, a biotech businessman. He was a co-founder and president of Chiron, and recently he co-founded Renovis. He is on the boards of directors of Chiron, Renovis, Zymogenetics, and BayBio; and recently on those of Eyetech and the Biotechnology Industry Association. He is a Director at Alta Partners, a venture capital firm with a large biotechnology portfolio. Penhoet has also served on the UC Berkeley faculty and is currently President of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

CIRM was initially supported by the staff of the California Research and Cures Coalition from the offices of the Klein Financial Corporation. It is now in temporary offices in Emeryville. It is searching for a president, and in May 2005 the trustees chose property in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco for its permanent headquarters.

[edit] Prop 71 history

For more information on Prop 71, see California Proposition 71 (2004)

The campaign spent over $30 million and received contributions from figures such as Bill Gates, venture capitalist John Doerr (an early backer of Internet search engine Google), and eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, as well as actors Michael J. Fox and Christopher Reeve. Its largest source of funding was from venture capitalists. It was also backed by California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican.

Opposition to the initiative came from a diverse range of groups, including both those who oppose abortion rights and those who support them. The former are generally opposed to all embryonic stem cell research, while the latter emphasized potential conflicts of interest, alleged lack of transparency and accountability, and alleged inadequate safeguards to protect the health of egg providers and research subjects.

[edit] Implementation

Following the passage of the proposition, Robert Klein, one of the Founders and has a financial interest in the project, said "there is no doubt in my mind that the mission Californians accepted today is a critical first step in changing the face of human suffering forever." Yet CIRM and its governing board have faced criticism from both opponents and supporters of Prop. 71. For example, the ambitious agenda of its first meeting was postponed due to open meeting laws after a challenge from a public interest lawyer. However, as of June 6, 2006, there were delays in the implementation of the California program and it is believed that the delays will continue for the significant future. [1] On July 21, 2006, Schwarzenegger authorized $150 million in loans to the Institute in an attempt to jump start the process of funding research.^[2]