Stem Cell Research in California

Stem Cell Research in California

In the November 2004 election, California votes approved the creation of a stem cell research institute (the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine) which would allow research on stem cells to take place without the limitations of federal funding. On September 13, 2005, Scientific American reported on the progress of getting the institute operational.

The chair of the institute and the man behind the idea and the voter initiative is Robert Klein, a real estate investment banker. Klein believes that medical research should be considered as fundamental as infrastructure and not be funded on the basis of legislative bills. According to the article, Klein now faces criticism on issues of accountability regarding conflict-of-interest rules and benefits to California residents, among others. The CIRM scientific and medical accountability board has adopted rules laid out by the National Academy of Sciences but is waiting for a 270 day public review process.

Some of the concerns voiced by other scientists are that the public may have too much power and lead to a climate in which factions “attack study results they don’t like and raise money to test their own treatment theories.” Other scientists are concerned that when states set up their own standards for peer review, quality, and ethics instead of relying on those used by the NIH, both scientists and the public become confused about what is acceptable research and what is not.

Klein’s goals include removing administrative and legal barriers to the pace of research. He would like to see a statewide master license on intellectual property that allows biological material to move between institutions, and he would like to approve grants on a three-month basis instead of a nine-month basis.