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Category Archives: Stem Cell Therapy

Stem Cell Directors Order More Consideration on $20 Million UCLA Research Application


Directors of the California stem cell
agency today deferred action on a $20 million proposal that was
rejected by its grant reviewers and sent it back for more consideration. 

The move involved an application by
Stanley Nelson and M. Carrie Miceli of UCLA dealing with Duchenne
muscular dystrophy. They are parents of a child with the affliction,
which is usually fatal by age 25. The CIRM review summary said it is
“a devastating and incurable muscle-wasting disease caused by
genetic mutations in the gene that codes for dystrophin, a protein
that plays a key role in muscle cell health.”
Nelson had filed an appeal seeking to
overturn reviewers' action. Five  mothers and two fathers with
children suffering from the disease made emotional appeals to
CIRM directors on behalf of the application. Following their presentation, Art
Torres, co vice chairman of the CIRM board, responded equally
emotionally that the board is dedicated to finding therapies for such
afflictions as Duchenne muscular dystrophy
The board approved more review for the
application after it was disclosed that a company issued a press
release two days ago that showed that  a drug involved in the
proposal was more effective than reviewers believed. Philip Pizzo, a
member of the board and dean of the Stanford medical school,
expressed caution about the press release, given its timing and
source. His comments came prior to the appearance of the parents.
The application is scheduled to be
brought back to the full board in September for further action.

Source:
http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss

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Rejected Grants May Be Sent Back for More Review


California stem cell agency chairman J.T. Thomas has raised the possibility of sending some of the disease team applications back for additional review if the board feels that is necessary to consider new information and resolve scientific disputes. 

Thomas discussed such a move at the beginning of the discussion of the $243 million disease team round. Nine out of 15 rejected applicants have appealed to the full board.  Some have presented new information. Others have disputed the scientific work of reviewers. 
The board used such a referral process for one application in the past. That grant was ultimately approved.

Source:
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Short-term Borrowing to Continue to Provide California Stem Cell Cash


The California stem cell agency will continue to be funded with short-term borrowing -- commercial paper -- provided through the state treasurer's office, J.T. Thomas, chairman of the agency's governing board, said today. 

Until late last year, the $3 billion agency was funded through state bond funds, but California Gov. Jerry Brown is trying to reduce the state's long-term debt load, which has skyrocketed in the last decade. 
Thomas told directors this morning that short-term funding comes at "the lowest possible interest rate." He said the arrangement leaves the agency in "very good shape."
The state will provide the funding to CIRM on a month-to-month basis in addition to providing a two month cushion, Thomas said. 
At some point, the short-term debt is likely to covered by state bonds.  As of June 30, CIRM
had $50.9 million on hand, down $42 million from April 30. During the fiscal year ending June 30, the agency paid out $232.7 million compared to $201.4 million in the previous fiscal year. 

Source:
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California Stem Cell Directors Open Meeting


Today's session of the governing board of the $3 billion California stem cell agency has begun. The major item on the agenda is a $243 million grant round that has triggered a record pace for appeals by rejected applicants. At the request of the California Stem Cell Report, the agency has provided the conflict of interest list used by the agency to determine which directors will not be allowed today to vote or participate in the discussion of specific applications.  The list can be found below. Conflict of Interest List  -- CIRM Directors Meeting 7-26-12ound below.  

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News Coverage of CIRM Awards: Substantial but Not Extensive


The California stem cell agency today
enjoyed substantial, if sparse, news coverage of the

$151 million in research funding
approved by its board yesterday.
Both the San Francisco Chronicle and
The Sacramento Bee carried solid stories on the grant awards. In the
case of the Chronicle, the story included compelling photos of
patients who spoke during emotional, tear-filled presentations.
The stories represent a modest change
from the past, when media outlets all but ignored the agency's
awards.
The Bee's Richard Chang wrote,

“For Melissa Biliardi of Santa
Maria, the (CIRM board) vote symbolizes hope. Her son, James
Birdsall, 32, was diagnosed four years ago with Huntington's disease.
The degenerative brain disorder could prove fatal over the next 10 to
15 years. There is currently no cure or treatment, but with the
grant, UC Davis researchers hope to deliver an effective therapy in
four years.
"'This is the most hope we've ever
had for a cure or treatment,' Biliardi said.”

The Chronicle's Erin Allday wrote,

“California's stem cell funding
agency on Thursday approved nearly $100 million in grants for
research into heart disease, cancer and spinal cord injuries, and to
the cheers of dozens of patients and their supporters, it also
awarded money to rare but devastating diseases with no cure.”

The articles demonstrated the
effectiveness of patients and patient advocates in telling the CIRM
story. Reporters are always looking for a warm human dimension –
especially to enhance a dry, bare-bones science and government story.
Responding to a question from the
California Stem Cell Report, Kevin McCormack, spokesman for CIRM,
also mentioned radio news coverage in the San Francisco Bay Area. He
said the awards were covered in “two different stories on KCBS-AM
radio, one that ran several times yesterday and another that ran
several times today. KGO-AM radio also ran a story several tim, and,
of course, the best of all, today's KQED-FM Forum.”
The KQED show, which was also carried
nationally on Sirius radio, consisted of an hour-long look at CIRM,
with some calls from listeners. Guests on the show were CIRM
President, Alan Trounson, UC Davis stem cell researcher Jan Nolta and
yours truly, David Jensen.
Other stories appeared in the SanFrancisco Business Times and Genetic Engineering News. The Bee's
story appeared in the Modesto Bee as well.

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Disease Team Round Hits $151 Million with Final Action


Directors of the California stem cell
agency approved an additional
$20 million disease team grant today before adjourning their
meeting. The grant brought the disease team round to a total of $151 million.

The award went to Judith  Shizuru 
of Stanford. Scientist Irv Weissman and Robert
Klein, former chairman of the stem cell agency, both spoke on behalf
of her
appeal of a negative decision by grant reviewers. 
At the suggestion of the current board
chairman, J.T. Thomas, the board placed conditions on the grant
would stipulate Stanford pick up certain unknown, additional costs if
necessary. 
Here is a link to the CIRM press release on today's action.

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