Money, Money, Money
Almost all the news today has to do with dollars. So here’s your quick checklist for today of where the stem-cell related money is going.
Missouri: The Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures, which supports embryonic stem cell research and is backing a ballot initiative for stem cell research, received over $4.4 million dollars through the end of 2005 and spent $3.8 million of it, according to an AP story in the
Kansas City Star. $977,000 came from Virginia and James Stowers, and another $2.9 million came from the non-profit organization founded by the Stowerses, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. A
separate story in the Kansas City Star by a staff reporter says that the Stowers Institute only gave $15,000 but that the Stowerses gave a total of $4.12 million to the initiative campaign. Both articles identify other large donors, including individuals, businesses, and groups.
The Columbia Tribune also reports on the story. The proposed initiative is currently in court because of a lawsuit alleging that the petitions gathering signatures are deceptive.
Similar news comes from Florida, where the group Floridians for Stem Cell Research and Cures, which is backing a ballot initiative that would include embryonic stem cell research, has raised $228,000. The group opposing the initiative has raised only $40,000. The story is reported on the
Palm Beach Post.
In Connecticut, the $100,000 million research pot is being deliberated.
WTNH reports that Yale University, the University of Connecticut, Wesleyan University and the University of Hartford are all interested in obtaining some of the money.
The Boston Globe has published a fairly extensive story on this, and says that Yale and UConn are expected to receive much of the money. So far no private businesses or researchers have expressed interest. The
Danbury News Times reports very briefly that the researchers have intentions of collaborating to make the best use of the money.
In California, the
San Francisco Examiner reports that the Chair of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is seeking private “bridge loans” so that research work can begin while the lawsuits delaying funding are in court. Board Chairman Robert Klein has reportedly raised $40 million out of $50 million desired so far. If the lawsuits are upheld, the loans will become grants; otherwise, they will be repaid with interest.
In Wisconsin, Governor Jim Doyle’s State of the State address yesterday included a call for $5 million from the Department of Commerce to “find, fund and recruit companies which find practical applications for stem cell research,” according to a report on
WISC-TV’s website. The
Wisconsin Daily Cardinal (the University of Wisconsin’s paper) says that Doyle urged stem cell legislation and would like the state to capture 10% of the research industry.
And for a little bit of legislative news, the Delaware House is voting today on a revised stem cell bill. According to the
News Journal, the current bill has no standards or regulations for embryonic stem cell research:. The bill bans reproductive cloning and prohibits the sale of embryos.
