Share This Article:A stem cell research center at UC Davis. Courtesy California Institute for Regenerative MedicineBy Barbara Feder Ostrov | CalMatters

Californias stem cell research agency was supposed to be winding down its operations right about now, after a 16-year run and hundreds of millions in grants to scientists researching cutting-edge treatments for diabetes, cancer, Alzheimers and other diseases.

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Instead, the taxpayer-supported California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will get a $5.5 billion reboot after voters earlier this month narrowly passed the Proposition 14bond measure. The overall cost of the bonds with interest will total about $7.8 billion.

Were thrilled that California voters saw fit to continue the work weve done, said Jonathan Thomas, chair of the agencys governing board. California has always had a frontier mentality and a love for the cutting edge, and the work that CIRM has done has put it on the very forefront of regenerative medicine.

Even with Californias economy in a coronavirus-induced tailspin and somescientists arguingthat stem cell research no longer needs taxpayer support,Prop. 14passed with 51 percent of the vote after well-financed supporters pourednearly $21 millioninto the Yes on 14 campaign. The measure was essentially a rerun of Proposition 71, which California voters approved in 2004 after a since-revoked federal ban on embryonic stem cell research.

The cash infusion is expected to keep the institute running for another 10 to 15 years, although the agency will see some significant changes under Prop. 14.

The institute also must contend with longstanding concerns over conflicts of interest that have dogged it since its inception, observers say. About 80% of the money distributed has gone to universities and companies tied to agency board members, according to an analysisby longtime agency watchdog David Jensen, a former Sacramento Bee journalist who runs theCalifornia Stem Cell Reportblog and wrote abookon the institute.

Prop. 14 allows the agency to fund a wider array of research projects even some that dont involve stem cells, but instead are related to genetics, personalized medicine and aging.

Thats necessary because the field has evolved, said Paul Knoepfler, a UC Davis professor of cell biology who studies the role of stem cells in cancer and writes a stem cell blog. He received a 2009 grant from the institute.

Stem cells are interesting and important, but there are going to be a lot of new therapies in the next 10 years that are not stem-cell centric, Knoepfler said.

Other changes for the agency include:

Ysabel Duron, who joined the institutes board late last year, said she sees her role as promoting equity in opportunities for both researchers and patients and ensuring that treatments resulting from the research can benefit all Californians.

Researchers in particular need to boost the diversity of patients in their clinical trials and do a better job communicating the value of their work to the public, Duron said, noting that nearly 40% of Californians are Latino.

We need to keep researchers feet to the fire, said Duron, a former television journalist and founder of the Latino Cancer Institute. They need to show us a plan and we need to reward them.

To date, the agency has funded 64 clinical trials of treatments for many types of cancer, sickle cell disease, spinal cord injuries, diabetes, kidney disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonlyknown as Lou Gehrigs disease.But the most advanced trials involve therapies for relatively rare conditions, such asSevere Combined Immunodeficiency known as the bubble baby disease, Jensen noted. That therapy is being reviewed by the FDA but has not yet been approved.

Cancer, heart disease these are the big killers. Thats what most people are interested in, Jensen said. You can fund something for a rare disease, but that doesnt affect the majority of Californians.

And, Jensen asks, what will happen after the agency runs out of money again? Will taxpayers once again be asked to refill its coffers? There was hope when the agency began that revenues from successful treatments would sustain its grant-making in the years to come, but the institute has only received a few hundred thousand dollars, not nearly enough to become self-sustaining without taxpayer support, according to theLegislative Analysts Office.

The sustainability issue is important and its hard to address, Jensen said. The money doesnt last forever.

Stem Cell Medical Research to Expand in California Following Passage of Prop. 14 was last modified: November 27th, 2020 by Editor

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