State stem cell program moving too fast

Governing board is also failing to fulfill its promises of health benefits and financial returns for the state, says Center for Genetics and Society

The governing board of California's stem cell research program is moving too fast by planning to announce grant recipients at its meeting tomorrow in Sacramento, according to the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group.

"The board must address several key issues before it is ready to announce grant recipients," said Marcy Darnovsky, the associate executive director of the Center. "Most importantly, the stem cell program doesn't have any money. It is irresponsible for its leaders to promise grants that they may be unable to deliver."

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was created by last year's Proposition 71 to issue grants, funded by bonds, to support stem cell research. It has been unable to issue bonds because the constitutionality of Proposition 71 is being challenged in the courts.

"The announcement would continue a pattern of doing things fast at the expense of doing things right," added Jesse Reynolds, director of the program on biotechnology accountability at the Center. "Good policy would be guided by the availability of resources, rather than a concern with a public relations campaign."

At a recent subcommittee, ICOC members agreed that the institute should move forward with the grant announcements in order to improve public relations, even though the CIRM does not have funds to award.

"The Institute must also decide who will own - and profit from - any discoveries made using state funds," added Ms. Darnovsky. "It would be a violation of the voters' trust if the Institute fails to ensure that any treatments developed with public funds are widely accessible, or if it rejects the possibility of the state receiving a share of the profits."

Other critics of CIRM have highlighted the procedural failures of the ICOC and its advisory groups. In a letter to the ICOC, public interest attorney Charles Halpern said that a "system that permits intelligent participation by the ICOC in the grants selection process must be developed before any grants are awarded. The system presented in this Agenda does not measure up."

Halpern also notes that it is inappropriate for the ICOC to issue grants without first putting in place a mechanism to assure that grants recipients will not use the skills or materials developed with public funds to support any effort toward reproductive cloning. Although human reproductive cloning is prohibited in California, there are no laws addressing it in 39 states or at the federal level.

Mr. Halpern's letter is available at http://www.genetics-and-society.org/policies/california/halpern20050908icoc.html . A letter from the Center for Genetics and Society to the ICOC concerning intellectual property is at http://www.genetics-and-society.org/resources/cgs/20050908_cirm_letter.html .

Contact:
Parita Shah
310-403-8765

Jesse Reynolds
510-625-0819 x308